Before he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Utah senator wrote on X that “we need some answers.”
Before he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Utah senator wrote on X that “we need some answers.” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, as seen at an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct.
7, 2025. “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force,”The Associated Press reported . American officials later announced that both President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested and will face narco-terrorism charges in the U.S. Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.“He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant,” Lee continued. “This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee concluded, thanking Rubio for “keeping me apprised.”vests executive power in the president, making the office the nation’s chief executive and commander in chief. It also outlines the president’s authority over foreign affairs and appointments., Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine wrote President Donald Trump’s “unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro — however terrible he is — is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere.” Utah’s Sen. John Curtis and Rep. Mike Kennedy both signaled early Saturday they were seeking clarity. “I’ve stood on the border between Venezuela and Colombia and witnessed the level of human suffering inflicted by the Maduro regime,” Curtisat 7:13 a.m. Mountain time. “I’ve seen the human cost of failed authoritarian socialism made even worse by the ties to drug cartels, terrorist groups, Russia, and Iran which threaten Americans in our own hemisphere.” He continued: “As Chair of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, I expect a full and timely briefing on the nature, scope, and impact of these actions.”at 9:36 a.m. Mountain time that he is “closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela and the Trump administration’s response,” adding that he awaits “President Trump’s further clarity regarding the scope and strategic intent of these actions.”Saturday seemed supportive, writing, “American forces acted with courage, discipline, and precision to apprehend Nicolás Maduro,” whom he added was “never a legitimate head of Venezuela.” “I am deeply grateful to those who executed this action and thankful that no American lives were lost,” Owens continued. Moira Hicks, left, and Jannah Marie wave flags Venezuelan flags as they join protesters rallying outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. Lee’s posts drew pushback from commenters, with some telling him to “get a grip” and to “Stop being so quick to “I asked a question that needed to be asked,” he continued. “I quickly received an answer from his Secretary of State.”As a lawyer, Lee has clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito at both the high court and circuit court level. He previously served as assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Utah before serving as general counsel to former Gov. Jon Huntsman. He has held his Senate seat since 2011.Maduro and his wife were apprehended overnight from their home on a military base, then boarded onto a U.S. warship to New York,, Trump said the U.S. will run Venezuela until a transition of power can take place and tap into its oil reserves, selling “large amounts” to other nations.at 3:18 a.m. Mountain time that Rubio “anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.” Protesters rally outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. On Saturday afternoon in Utah, about 150 protesters gathered near the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City to decry the attack, calling for “No U.S. war on Venezuela.” Together, the group chanted, “No more coups, no more wars,” as several held signs and waved the Venezuelan flag. “We have fought to establish democratic rights for Latin Americans all over the world, which is why we support Venezuela’s right to determine their own destiny — to determine their own future — without any intervention from the United States,” said one protester, Chantal Irungaray., a national organization that initially represented Latino students and stood for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán; “MECHA” translates to fuse or wick. It has since shifted into more of a political group for all underrepresented populations.Another protester, Adrian Rollins, called Trump’s actions “colonialism.”“Deeply informed by Vietnam Veterans Against the War before us,” the group’s website states, “we are part of a legacy of service members organizing against the wars that we served in.” Rollins said he can see “a repeat of the war in Iraq” and “a repeat of what we did in Vietnam” after the Saturday attack. “There’s nothing democracy — democratic — about claiming the land of someone else," he said. “That’s colonial.”
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