PASCACK VALLEY—Local leaders are beginning to react to Saturday’s surprise developments in Venezuela, where U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro during an overnight raid. President Trump said the United States will “run” Venezuela until “a proper transition can take place,” according to the New Jersey Monitor, describing the operation as “extremely successful” and saying it should serve as a warning to others who “threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”
New Jersey Monitor reported that Trump, speaking from Mar-a-Lago alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials, tied the secret strike directly to securing Venezuela’s oil industry. He said petroleum companies would finance its reconstruction, and Rubio warned that Cuba “could face the same interventionist fate.”
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, called Maduro “an illegitimate dictator who undermined democracy, enriched himself at the expense of his people, partnered with enemies of the U.S., and led a corrupt, narco-linked regime.”
Gottheimer said Congress “must be promptly and fully briefed” on the operation and the strategy ahead, adding that “the Venezuelan people deserve to live in freedom under a democratically elected leader of their choosing.”
He added, in part, “I commend the bravery of the U.S. service members involved in today’s operation and those serving across the region.”
As Politico reported, Democrats in Washington swiftly condemned the president’s unilateral use of force, saying the White House illegally bypassed Congress and appears unprepared for the aftermath. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s plan to “run” Venezuela “should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries compared the move to Iraq and Afghanistan. New Jersey’s Sen. Andy Kim said administration officials had “blatantly lied to Congress” by previously denying that regime change was their goal.
As of press time, state Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) had not issued a statement on the operation or on Trump’s remarks about a continuing American role in Venezuela.
In December, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat and former Navy helicopter pilot, criticized separate Trump military strikes in the Caribbean that killed suspected drug smugglers, calling it “a war crime” and “a stain on our honor.” She has not yet commented on the Venezuela operation. Outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy has also not appeared to have released a statement.