Washington D.C. – A group of Democratic members of the United States Congress have accused the Trump administration of misleading them regarding its policies and actions in Venezuela. The accusations come in the wake of a U.S. operation in Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
Lawmakers claim the administration provided deceptive information during recent briefings concerning its plans for Venezuela. Specifically, they allege that senior officials assured them the U.S. government was not pursuing regime change in Caracas. These representatives now feel they were deliberately misled.
During briefings held in November and December, featuring officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, members of Congress state they were repeatedly told that there were no plans for a ground invasion of Venezuela and that the administration was not focused on regime change.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement expressing her concerns. “Given that the President and his government have repeatedly denied any intention of regime change in Venezuela during Congressional briefings, we no longer understand how the administration is prepared to mitigate the risks to the United States, and we have no information regarding a long-term strategy after today’s extraordinary escalation,” she stated.
Representative Don Beyer of Virginia echoed these sentiments, stating, “The U.S. administration lied to Congress and launched an illegal war for regime change and for oil.”
A caucus of Black legislators in Congress also strongly condemned Trump’s actions, deeming the attack on Venezuela and the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as “unlawful.” The situation marks a significant point of contention between the administration and members of Congress, raising questions about transparency and the justification for U.S. intervention in Latin America.
DZWatch will continue to monitor this developing story.
