Long Island pols react to U.S. attack on Venezuela

WASHINGTON — Long Island's congressional representatives Saturday split along party lines over what President Donald Trump said was "a large-scale strike" on Venezuela leading to the capture of the country's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.

The Island's two House Republicans, Reps. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), rallied behind Trump for ordering Maduro's arrest on charges of narco-terrorism and trafficking.

LaLota, in a statement, framed the operation in seizing Maduro as "a necessary step toward justice for American families devastated by Venezuelan-made and trafficked drugs."

But while Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) agreed that Maduro deserved to be brought to justice, she argued, like other Democrats nationally, that Trump had the responsibility to consult with Congress "before engaging in acts of war."

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), the Island's other Democratic House member, posted a statement that, "Maduro is a bad actor and stopping the flow of drugs into the United States is an important goal. We must, however, comply with the law and congressional oversight."

"Reckless," is how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) cast the Trump administration's launching of a military action without congressional authorization and without, he said, a credible plan for what comes next. That, even though he characterized Maduro as "an illegitimate dictator." 

Schumer said Senate Democrats will seek to force a vote next week on a war powers bill that would prevent further unauthorized military action in Venezuela.

Trump, during a news conference Saturday afternoon, said no U.S. service members were killed in the operation and that a second "and much larger" attack on the country could be staged if needed. He also said the United States will run Venezuela until a “safe transition" in its government occurs, and that the move would also benefit U.S. interests by providing access to the South American nation's vast oil supply.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges of "Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States."

The action "strengthens America's national security in our hemisphere," LaLota said, lauding the U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence community who carried it through.

LaLota also cautioned that "American leaders must apply the hard lessons learned in Iraq and take deliberate steps to minimize the power vacuum risks that can follow the removal of a sinister regime."

Garbarino, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said, "I look forward to receiving updates from the Trump administration on the next steps." He said that included learning more about "its whole-of-government efforts to disrupt the operations of transnational criminal organizations and end the deadly flow of drugs into our country."

Maduro, Garbarino added, was a narco-terrorist and an "illegitimate leader" who "will rightfully stand trial for facilitating the trafficking of deadly drugs across our borders that have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans."

But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said administration officials had repeatedly told her and her Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues such action in Venezuela was not being planned. Now, she said, they must "explain why they would carry out this military operation to perform regime change" without authorization by Congress.

The Constitution and international law "are not optional," said New York's junior senator.

Others, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, provided similar references to the U.S. Constitution, which explicitly grants Congress the authority to declare war and approve the conduct of military action against a sovereign.

"Far too many questions remain unanswered, including with respect to whether further military actions are planned," Jeffries added.

He and Schumer later Saturday requested "immediate" administration briefings for themselves and other members of the so-called "Gang of Eight" of top congressional Republican and Democratic leaders — and briefings for all Congress members next week.

 "The Trump administration must brief Congress immediately on its objectives," Schumer said "and its plan to prevent a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster that plunges us into another endless war or one that trades one corrupt dictator for another." 

But Republicans, such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, countered on Fox News that, "Congress doesn't need to be notified every time the executive branch is making an arrest."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx, Queens), asserted in a social media posting on X that the operation was not about drugs, but "about oil and regime change."

Ocasio-Cortez also raised a wag the dog-like diversion theory, saying the administration needs a Maduro trial to divert public focus from the Jeffrey Epstein matter and "skyrocketing health care costs."

Schumer similarly offered that Trump is trying to "distract from skyrocketing costs Americans face and the historic cover up of the Epstein files." 

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a posting on X, called the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela a "flagrant abuse of power by acting without congressional approval." She also noted that "New York is home to a vibrant Venezuelan community, and I stand with families here and abroad in their hopes for a better, more stable future."