Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Brian MastR-Fla., on Saturday pushed back against Democratic criticism of President Trump’s capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, arguing that the administration carefully weighed the risks before acting.
“Democrats have egg on their face[s] previous operations saying we were going to participate in these protracted war operations that didn’t happen,” Mast said on “The Big Weekend Show.”
“President Trump is not the president of a protracted war. He is the one who goes out there to conduct operations and says…what is the mission that needs to be accomplished?”
Mast compared Trump’s approach to that of previous administrations, pointing to limited strikes in Syria during Trump’s first term and efforts to lay the groundwork for a deal based on conditions. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
President Donald Trump (left) ordered a military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro (right). The move drew both praise and criticism across Washington. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
He also cited a recent targeted operation against Iran, which he said neutralized threats without triggering a broader conflict or violating U.S. war powers.
As Democrats questioned the legality of the operation, other Republican lawmakers defended it Saturday, including Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
“The legality is very well established,” Crenshaw said, citing the Bush administration’s first capture of the former Panamanian strongman Manuel Antonio Noriega and the Obama administration’s actions against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi as precedent.
Trump reveals Venezuela’s Maduro was captured in ‘fortress-like’ house
Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrive at the West 30th Street heliport for the arrival of captured Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro January 3 in New York. (Stefan Jérémie/AP Photo)
“You’re prosecuting someone who’s indicted in American courts, and you’re prosecuting someone who we’ve established is an imminent danger to American national security,” Crenshaw added.
Cotton echoed this argument, saying Congress does not need be informed when the executive branch arrests indicted persons.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Congress is not informed when the FBI is going to arrest a drug dealer or a cybercriminal here in the United States, nor should it be informed when the executive branch makes arrests on indicted people,” he said Saturday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“That’s really what the analogy is here. In fact, the FBI was involved in this operation, in the arrest of Maduro and his wife, who were indicted here in the United States, so Congress doesn’t need to be informed every time the executive branch makes an arrest.”
