Trumps covert CIA action in Venezuela

@UNIMAN

 No different than Noriega 1989. The precedent was set then.

The issue is that Noriega was never President.  Likewise, Maduro lost the election.  

Third, it appears our CIA has a strong presence in Venezuela.

Correct.  Since at least the late ‘80s / early ‘90s.  

@nature1970

Why not Edmundo Gonzalez that actually won the last election.  Or even María Corina Machado that was denied being able to run but backed Gonzalaez.  Or even simply have another election. 
The bottom line is that this a legitimate chance for them to have a widely watched and transparent election and get it right.  

@joe pockets

Simply because they are very different scenarios.  One was a strongman that usurped an election.  The USA is not trying to take over Venezuela.  
China would be over taking a duly elected and peaceful administration and country.  You can also argue that Taiwan has not done anything the threaten China or their people, etc. 
So, there are differences.  

For DJT's next trick, he made Democrats defend Maduro and covers libs agree with Putin.  4 D Chess

AOC wants Trump impeached for using Navy seals...  its cruelty to animals

Maduro will be on Jimmy Kimmal show Monday night

Big Tish will be in the courtroom every day giving maduro googly eyes??

Maduro has hired Kamala Harris to be his attorney 

Meathead was unusually quiet today

Biden says Maduro was the quarterback on his varsity football team?

Venezuelans celebrating in the streets while the democrats fume.  Very interesting. 

Van Hollen asking for a conjugal visit with Maduro ... margaritas 

I am loving the fact that democrats now agree with Putin

Tonight

USA is stronger

Russia and China are weaker.

Democrats are mad. Let that sink in.

President Sundown just announced George Santos as Interim President of Venezuela.

Well Well ! We will see come midterms! Are we a Country who grabs what we want ? Are CIA has done are dirty work for the last 50 years to look out for our interests but this is so Putin style that it is indefensible!….This pretty much sums up MAGA foreign policy in a nutshell! If I were Mexico, I’d certainly be willing to consider an alliance of sorts with China just to keep the wolves at bay. Because American have become an open intention that is looking for future in total world resource domination! ….End game easily can be WW3  If I’m China I take Taiwan tomorrow!….How could we argue!

The way I see it is Venezuela changing their dictator for ours! 

Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado dedicated her Prize to President Trump for his efforts on behalf of the Venezuelan people.  She will eventually return to Venezuela and establish a legitimate government thanks to Trump’s help. She is offering 1.7 trillion + for the exchange! Nice of her……She is playing cards with the devil!…..Is this who we our as a nation? Looks like the music has stopped and we’re grabbing a chair!

Exxon Mobil Corp. $XOM
Chevron Corp. $CVX
BP plc $BP
Conoco Phillips $COP
Shell plc $SHEL
Phillips 66 $PSX
Valero Energy $VLO
Occidental Petroleum $OXY
Let see how these stocks rise Monday!

Yes.  Let's see those stocks rise.

Broke people have been voting for democrats for 30 years...  and they're STLL BROKE 

I hope you can see the irony in you wanting to send home South American immigrants to now wanting to run that region - I think it would do some of you a lot of good to check out how big Venezuela is if you think running this as an invading force will be a small, easy operation - it might very well be your new “nam” - Venezuela is fucking made for guerilla warfare 

Trump said “ Our oil” All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy dating back more than two centuries.….Nothing was mentioned to congress! Trump said they have leakers there ! …And another reason to delay the DOJ and the Epstein files!… 

Ok let's judge this one on results of this coop. If Venezuela is better off in a year then this was a good position to take. If Venezuela falls to a defunct state of chaos then obviously this was not a good position.

Actions have consequences and accountability.

As far as legality this falls under the monroe doctrine and I believe we are responsible for the Americas.

Trump national security strategy is a return to imperialism.  Threatening trade war against world and annexation of other countries.  He betrays his election promises by focusing too much on global affairs rather than domestic issues.

@nature1970

Ok let's judge this one on results of this coop. If Venezuela is better off in a year then this was a good position to take. If Venezuela falls to a defunct state of chaos then obviously this was not a good position.

Actions have consequences and accountability.

As far as legality this falls under the monroe doctrine and I believe we are responsible for the Americas.

No sir.  That is not at all what I would use to judge it by.  
It was not done solely for a ‘regime change’.  That can be a side effect, and it can be good or bad.  
That is not the USA’s problem.  
These folks voted for this mess years ago.

For example, “America didn't attack Venezuela, nor capture its president.

They attacked a CARTEL and its BOSS”.  

That statement is very true.  
Even under Obama some of their top military top military and law enforcement leaders were indicted for working with Colombian cartels to move drugs to the USA.  
The USA has seized foreign drug dealers before.  Like Noriega from Panama.  No one thought the USA should then start running Panama.  But few would argue that it did not work out best for both countries.

Now is a time for Venezuela to make a change for themselves and not go back to the extreme Socialism/Communism that they voted for.  

So, a much better gauge is not whether Venezuela is better off a year from now but whether the USA is better for it.  

@joe pockets

 All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy dating back more than two centuries

I am not sure exactly what ‘foreign policy’ you mean here.  
There are plenty of actions by both party’s Presidents in the past that an ‘isolationist’ may not have agreed with but still seems to wriggle under some umbrella of their authority.  
Certainly, if there is a direct declaration of war, planned stay in the country, or something of that sort — then I think you clearly are forced to consult Congress and/or get their approval.

But there are several instances that have been done that seemed to be allowed in the framework of Executive authority.  

You can not possibly make up the following headline from The Gateway Pundit!

Let's try again! Here you go!

Yeah, right.

https://energynewsbeat.co/venezuela-never-paid-back-debt-owed-to-exxonmobil-and-conocophillips/

In the world of global energy politics, few stories highlight the tensions between resource nationalism and international investment as starkly as Venezuela’s ongoing disputes with U.S. oil giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. Stemming from the 2007 nationalization of oil projects under President Hugo Chávez, these conflicts have resulted in billions of dollars in unpaid arbitration award.

For ExxonMobil, an ICSID tribunal in 2014 awarded $1.6 billion for the seizure of its assets, far less than the $16.6 billion initially sought but still a significant ruling against Venezuela. This amount was to be offset against a parallel contractual arbitration. In 2023, a resubmission led to an additional $77 million award. Venezuela attempted to annul these decisions, but as of September 2025, U.S. courts enforced the ICSID award, rejecting Venezuela’s appeals.

ConocoPhillips fared even better. In 2018, an initial ruling granted $2 billion, but a fuller ICSID decision in 2019 ordered Venezuela to pay $8.7 billion plus interest for the unlawful expropriation of its three oil projects. Venezuela’s efforts to annul this award culminated in failure in January 2025, when an ICSID committee dismissed the appeal, leaving the debt at approximately $8.37 billion. This marked one of the largest investor-state awards ever, underscoring the tribunal’s view that Venezuela breached fair and equitable treatment standards.

Venezuela's acting leader says Venezuela seeks "peace and peaceful coexistence"
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who is serving as acting leader following President Nicolás Maduro's capture, said in a statement Sunday night that Venezuela seeks "peace and peaceful coexistence."

would you accept the acting leaders words to not bomb her ports or cities ..

And a informal surrender ...

Or would that be simply conjecture.

"Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation," Rodriguez said. "We believe that global peace is built by guaranteeing the peace of each nation first."

Rogriguez said she hopes to have a "balanced and respectful" relationship with the U.S. "based on sovereign equality and non-interference."

"We extend the invitation to the U.S. government to work together on a cooperation agenda, oriented to shared development, within the framework of international legality and strengthen a lasting community coexistence," she added.

"President Donald Trump: our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war."

By Jordan Freiman

Updated 1 minute ago CBS national news feed.

What to know about the U.S. military attack on Venezuela

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife landed in New York on Saturday hours after a dramatic U.S. military operation in Caracas that led to their capture. They are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and will face federal charges related to drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies. 

Maduro and his wife will appear in federal court at noon on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. 

President Trump said in a press conference that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela temporarily during the transition, and "get the oil flowing."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled on Sunday the U.S. doesn't plan to directly govern Venezuela, but will continue to enforce an "oil quarantine" as part of a plan to influence policy.  

The U.S. Army's Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, carried out the operation to capture Maduro, officials told CBS News.

The operation followed months of U.S. military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean, and a series of deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs

Can we talk about stopping boats than destroying them. Or point to local authorities to port irregularities than to wipe them out in a drone middle attack....

When do we stop this black current war....

Why it should better your life the slightest even if you steal the oil also shows you have no clue - has it better your life that Elon Musk has 50 billion more or whatever than he had 5 years ago - not really huh? Oil companies are a global industry selling oil to the highest bidder - they don’t fucking care if you are American or you descent from Kim Jong Un — but your tax dollars will of course help pay for the infrastructure - because why not