Dan Bongino officially leaves FBI deputy director role after less than a year, returns to ‘civilian life’
Dan Bongino returned to private life on Sunday after serving as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for less than a year. Bongino said on X that Saturday was his last day on the job before he would return to “civilian life.” “It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump. It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side,” he wrote. The former FBI deputy director announced in mid-December that he would be leaving his role at the bureau at the start of the new year. BONDI, PATEL TAP MISSOURI AG AS ADDITIONAL FBI CO-DEPUTY DIRECTOR ALONGSIDE BONGINO President Donald Trump previously praised Bongino, who assumed office in March, for his work at the FBI. “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” Trump told reporters. FBI DIRECTOR, TOP DOJ OFFICIAL RESPOND TO ‘FAILING’ NY TIMES ARTICLE CLAIMING ‘DISDAIN’ FOR EACH OTHER Bongino spoke publicly about the personal toll of the job during a May appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying he had sacrificed a lot to take the role. “I gave up everything for this,” he said, citing the long hours both he and FBI Director Kash Patel work. “I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., by myself, divorced from my wife — not divorced, but I mean separated — and it’s hard. I mean, we love each other, and it’s hard to be apart,” he added. Bongino’s departure leaves Andrew Bailey, who was appointed co-deputy director in September 2025, as the bureau’s other deputy director.
Kamala Harris blasts Trump administration’s capture of Venezuela’s Maduro as ‘unlawful and unwise’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday evening condemned the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, calling the operation both “unlawful” and “unwise.” In a lengthy post on X, Harris acknowledged that Maduro is a “brutal” and “illegitimate” dictator but said that President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.” “Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable,” Harris wrote. “That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. We’ve seen this movie before. “Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price.” SEE PICS: VENEZUELANS WORLDWIDE CELEBRATE AS EXILES REACT TO MADURO’S CAPTURE Harris made the remarks hours after the Trump administration confirmed that Maduro and his wife were captured and transported out of Venezuela as part of “Operation Absolute Resolve.” The former vice president also accused the administration of being motivated by oil interests rather than efforts to combat drug trafficking or promote democracy. “The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to. This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” Harris said. “If he cared about either, he wouldn’t pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro’s cronies.” SECOND FRONT: HOW A SOCIALIST CELL IN THE US MOBILIZED PRO-MADURO FOOT SOLDIERS WITHIN 12 HOURS Harris, who has been rumored as a potential Democratic contender in the 2028 presidential race, additionally accused the president of endangering U.S. troops and destabilizing the region. “The President is putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilizing a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home,” she said. “America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first.” MADURO’S FALL SPARKS SUSPICION OF BETRAYAL INSIDE VENEZUELA’S RULING ELITE Maduro and his wife arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn late Saturday after being transported by helicopter from the DEA in Manhattan after being processed. Earlier in the day, Trump said that the U.S. government will “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” Harris’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Second front: How a socialist cell in the US mobilized pro-Maduro foot soldiers within 12 hours
As the U.S. military carried out a daring operation to capture Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, a second front opened up within minutes in the United States an information warfare, psychological and propaganda operation run by a hardened cell of self-described Marxist, socialist and communist leaders. For years, this cell has fomented anti-American hate in the U.S. under the cover of “anti-war” protests, rallying activists after the 9/11 attacks to condemn the U.S. response, appropriating “anti-racism” protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, marching with Antifa agitators, organizing antisemitic campus encampments after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and activating “working-class Americans” to support Maduro and his regime in a war against “U.S. imperialism.” A Fox News Digital analysis of their minute-by-minute moves overnight reveals how this network activated a coordinated ideological and information warfare campaign, moving through digital social media channels with quickly produced posters to mobilize foot soldiers to the streets for an “EMERGENCY DAY OF ACTION” in New York City; Washington, D.C.; and an estimated 100 other cities, moving with the speed and discipline of an organized military operation. At 1:35 a.m., as U.S. special forces teams had just landed in Venezuela, BreakThrough News, a socialist propaganda arm of the network, published some of the first video from the U.S. military strikes, blasting the Trump administration for waging an “illegal bombing campaign of Caracas,” the capital of Venezuela. It was a talking point that was going to stick. TRUMP REVEALS VENEZUELA’S MADURO WAS CAPTURED IN ‘FORTRESS’-LIKE HOUSE: ‘HE GOT BUM RUSHED SO FAST’ Ten minutes later, at 1:45 a.m., one of the key leaders of this network, Manolo De Los Santos, executive director at The People’s Forum, a proudly socialist 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in New York City, echoed the narrative on social media of an “illegal bombing.” Less than an hour later, at 2:29 a.m., the ANSWER Coalition, a nonprofit co-founded by a proud Marxist, Brian Becker, published a red siren alert on the social media platform X with a slick new poster, calling supporters to the streets in Times Square for a protest Saturday to support Maduro. “NO WAR ON VENEZUELA! STOP THE BOMBINGS,” the poster screamed, on brand. EXPLOSIONS HEARD IN VENEZUELAN CAPITAL OF CARACAS: REPORTS Minutes later, at 2:34 a.m., The People’s Forum shared the call-to-action, screaming: “EMERGENCY PROTEST” Soon after, at 2:43 a.m., the Party for Socialism and Liberation shared the poster on X, saying, “Stop the bombings…!” Congressional lawmakers are already investigating this socialist network for its ties to Neville Roy Singham, a United States-born technology executive who relocated to Shanghai after selling his software firm and starting work that critics say is aligned closely with interests of the Chinese Communist Party. Singham didn’t respond to a request for comment. MADURO MET CHINESE ENVOY HOURS BEFORE US CAPTURE FROM CARACAS AS BEIJING SLAMS OPERATION By 3:21 a.m., Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a research institute chaired by Singham that examines issues through the lens of “national liberation Marxism,” posted a message, denouncing the military action, declaring, “Down with US imperialism.” Within a few hours, at 6:09 a.m., CodePink, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, condemned the “terrorist United States…” MADURO JAILED AT NEW YORK DETENTION CENTER THAT HELD DIDDY, GHISLAINE MAXWELL, AND SAM BANKMAN-FRIED From a military intelligence perspective, experts say the overnight sequence bears the hallmarks of a pre-positioned influence network executing a rapid-response operation. The synchronization of messaging, the staggered release of content across aligned platforms and the immediate transition from online agitation to physical mobilization point to an ecosystem designed not for spontaneous protest, but for ideological warfare. In this framework, experts say, the nonprofit leaders are foot soldiers in Maduro’s war on the United States, acting as civilian operatives advancing the strategic interests of a foreign ideological project. Their role is not to fight with weapons, but to contest legitimacy, shape public perception, apply internal pressure on U.S. decision-making during moments of external conflict and further the cause of communism, experts say. At the center of this domestic front is an international coordination structure known as the International Peoples’ Assembly, which functions as an umbrella organization and political command-and-control hub linking communist parties, socialist movements, activist organizations and state-aligned media outlets worldwide. One of its media arms, the People’s Dispatch, has explicitly framed its mission as mobilizing global resistance against “American imperialism,” including repeated calls to action on behalf of Venezuela. It lists Singham’s Tricontinental as one of its “partners.” The North America members of its “coordinating committee” include CodePink; the Popular Education Project, an initiative of The People’s Forum; and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Its Venezuelan member is a group called Francisco de Miranda Front, which works closely with its U.S. allies. At 7:49 a.m., the International People’s Assembly shared the poster for the “EMERGENCY DAY OF ACTION.” It quickly published a statement condemning the U.S. military action as reflective of the country’s “increasingly militaristic and hyper-imperialist orientation” and calling on members to “resist this pursuit of hegemony by any means necessary.” TRUMP VOWS US WILL ‘RUN’ VENEZUELA UNTIL ‘SAFE’ TRANSITION OF POWER The assembly operates in close alignment with Tricontinental, the SIngham organization that functions as an ideological production center, generating narratives, research and messaging disseminated through aligned media platforms and activated through street-level organizations. Singham’s wife, Evans, sits on the International People’s Assembly, tightening the operational loop between messaging, mobilization and leadership. Experts say the ideological doctrine guiding this network is shaped in part by Prashad, who also serves as editor of People’s Dispatch. On the operational side, De Los Santos, executive director at The People’s Forum, has emerged as a visible field organizer. He is listed as a researcher at Tricontinental and has repeatedly appeared at regime-aligned events in Venezuela, functioning as a liaison between the ideological center and street-level mobilization abroad and at home. MADURO GAVE STATE TV ADDRESS AS US STRIKES IN VENEZUELA BEGAN: REPORT In 2003, Cuban leader Fidel
Mamdani strongly condemns Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro as ‘act of war’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday he was briefed on plans to imprison Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in New York City, calling their capture an “act of war and a violation of federal and international law.” President Donald Trump announced the couple’s capture in a “large scale strike” Saturday morning, following months of assaults on suspected drug vessels allegedly tied to the Venezuelan regime in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific. The Venezuelan government said in a statement the attack was carried out to seize the country’s oil and minerals and was an “attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a ‘regime change,’ in alliance with the fascist oligarchy.” FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA Mamdani, a democratic socialist inaugurated on New Year’s Day, said during a news conference Saturday he discussed the matter with Trump on the phone, pushing back on the commander in chief’s decision. “I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day,” Mamdani said. “I registered my opposition, I made it clear and we left it at that.” The mayor later took to X, claiming the “blatant pursuit of regime change” will directly affect New Yorkers and Venezuelans living in New York City. “My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,” Mamdani wrote in the post. LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO Maduro and Mamdani believe in redistributing wealth downward, with Mamdani focused on taxing the wealthy and corporations to fund public services and Maduro redistributing wealth through oil revenues and state control of resources. Mamdani also campaigned on public-run housing, childcare, transit and city-owned grocery stores, similar to Maduro’s policies of state-run food distribution, healthcare and housing. Fox News host and former white house press secretary Kayleigh McEnany noted the “juxtaposition” of Maduro being prosecuted in New York City, which Mamdani oversees. “The ‘warm collectivism’ promised during Mamdani’s inaugural speech (which killed 100 million people in the 20th century) is about to be prosecuted in federal court in the city he oversees,” McEnany wrote in an X post. “The juxtaposition is quite something.” However, Venezuelan socialism involves nationalization and central control, which led to an economic collapse and authoritarian drift. Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump reveals Venezuela’s Maduro was captured in ‘fortress’-like house: ‘He got bum rushed so fast’
President Donald Trump revealed during an exclusive interview with “Fox & Friends Weekend” that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a “fortress”-like house, where he got “bum rushed so fast” by American special forces. Trump said he huddled with generals inside a room at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida as they “watched every aspect” of the “extremely complex” operation unfold. The president said the initial plan was for Maduro to be captured earlier this week, but U.S. forces had to wait for the right weather conditions. “We waited four days. We were going to do this four days ago, three days ago, two days ago. And then all of a sudden it opened up, and we said, ‘Go,’” the president said, describing how Maduro was in a “very highly-guarded” house at the time he was confronted. LIVE UPDATES: MADURO COULD MAKE NY FEDERAL COURT APPEARANCE AS SOON AS MONDAY “He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors. It had what they call a safety space, where it’s, you know, solid steel all around. He didn’t get that space closed. He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t get into that,” Trump said. “We were prepared. We had, you know, massive blowtorches and everything else that you need to get through that steel. But we didn’t need it. He didn’t make it to that area of the house.” A U.S. official briefed on the matter told Fox News Saturday the U.S. Army’s Delta Force physically captured Maduro, with the CIA providing intelligence to the Department of War to help track down the dictator’s location. “Everything was pinpoint … everything they practiced. They actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all the safes, all the steel all over the place,” Trump told “Fox & Friends Weekend,” describing the military planning that went into the operation. Trump said he believes no U.S. forces were killed during the operation. He added that “a couple of guys were hit, but they came back, and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape.” TRUMP CONFIRMS US STRIKE IN VENEZUELA, SAYS PRESIDENT MADURO HAS BEEN CAPTURED Trump also said Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima and that they were heading to New York to face an indictment on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy. When asked about what the future of Venezuela holds with Maduro no longer in the country, Trump said, “We’re making that decision now.” “We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run and just take over where he left off. So we’re making that decision now,” Trump told Fox News on Saturday morning. “We’ll be involved in it very much, and we want to do liberty for the people. We want to, you know, have a great relationship. I think the people of Venezuela are very, very happy because they love the United States. You know, they were run by essentially a dictatorship or worse.” Trump also said the U.S. military operations in Venezuela are “saving lives because the drug trafficking is so bad. It’s gotten so out of control.” Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and David Spunt contributed to this report.
US capture of Maduro throws spotlight on Venezuela’s massive oil reserves
In the predawn hours on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced the stunning capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a dramatic development for a nation that, despite sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves, has been hobbled by years of economic collapse and political turmoil. Trump accused Venezuela’s socialist government of seizing American energy assets and dismantling an industry built with U.S. investment. “Venezuela unilaterally seized and sold American oil, American assets and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars,” Trump said during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. “They took all of our property.” FOLLOW FOX NEWS LIVE COVERAGE OF VENEZUELA “We built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive and skill, and the socialist regime stole it from us,” he added. Trump added that U.S. energy companies would play a key role in rebuilding the Latin American country’s oil sector. “We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country,” he said. Roughly twice the size of California, Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves. At an estimated 300 billion barrels, about 20% of the global total and nearly four times U.S. reserves, that endowment dwarfs that of any other nation. Much of that oil, however, is difficult and expensive to produce. Venezuela’s reserves are dominated by heavy and extra-heavy crude that requires specialized equipment, constant maintenance and advanced refining capacity, much of which has deteriorated after years of underinvestment and skilled labor losses. ‘WE BUILT VENEZUELA’S OIL INDUSTRY:’ TRUMP VOWS US ENERGY RETURN AFTER MADURO CAPTURE Beyond technical challenges, Venezuela’s crisis-stricken economy and persistent political instability have further limited its ability to convert those reserves into sustained production. Similar dynamics have played out in countries such as Iran and Libya, where turmoil and sanctions constrain output despite vast resource wealth. “Venezuela under Maduro and under his predecessor have wrecked Venezuela’s economy,” said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. She said the country’s communist system had hollowed out its industrial base. “That’s why Maduro relies almost entirely on oil. It’s the only profitable source of revenue for him,” she added. Venezuela’s stockpile, now larger than those of energy titans like Saudi Arabia, has become a central flashpoint in the geopolitical struggle surrounding the country’s future. Trump has said his administration will continue to enforce its embargo on Venezuelan oil, keeping pressure on the country’s primary source of revenue. Whether Venezuela’s oil wealth can be unlocked now hinges not only on political change, but on whether years of underinvestment, decaying infrastructure and technical challenges can be reversed, a costly and complex task that would require billions of dollars and sustained stability.
JD Vance skips Trump’s Venezuela spotlight, but aide says he was ‘deeply involved’ behind the scenes
Vice President JD Vance was not present at President Donald Trump’s news conference announcing the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro because of heightened security and secrecy concerns, according to a spokesperson, despite being closely involved in the planning and execution of the operation. Trump briefed the press on the mission hours after Maduro was taken into U.S. custody, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs. Vance publicly praised the operation on X but did not attend the briefing. Vance did meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday to discuss the strikes but was not at Trump’s golf club Friday night when senior Trump officials monitored the mission because the national security team “was concerned a late-night motorcade movement by the Vice President while the operation was getting underway may tip off the Venezuelans.” “The Vice President joined by secure video conference throughout the night to monitor the operation. He returned to Cincinnati after the operation concluded.” TRUMP VOWS US WILL ‘RUN’ VENEZUELA UNTIL ‘SAFE’ TRANSITION OF POWER Due to “increased security concerns,” Trump and Vance are limiting the “frequency and duration” of time they spend together outside the White House, the Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,” Vance wrote on X after the operation was made public. “And PSA for everyone saying this was ‘illegal’: Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narco-terrorism. You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas,” he wrote in a separate post. Trump, during his news conference, revealed that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until a “safe, orderly” transition of power can take place. Pressed on whether U.S. forces would remain inside the country, Trump did not rule out a sustained troop presence. “They always say boots on the ground, so we’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” he said, confirming U.S. troops were already involved “at a very high level” during the operation. Trump noted Venezuela’s vice president had been “picked by Maduro” but said U.S. officials were already engaging with her. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great,” Trump said, adding that the issue was being handled directly by his team. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as Maduro’s successor, and Trump did not say whether the U.S. will move to install opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia. Vance, in the past, has voiced skepticism of U.S. interventions. In a Signal chat leaked after the Houthi strikes last March, Vance told a group of Trump Cabinet officials, “I think we are making a mistake.” “[Three] percent of U.S. trade runs through the Suez Canal. Forty percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary,” Vance said. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.”
Rubio to Cuba: ‘I’d be concerned’ after US military arrests Venezuelan leader Maduro
Cuban leaders should be concerned after the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday, as President Donald Trump signaled that his administration could shift its focus to the Caribbean island. Cuba has long maintained a presence in Venezuela, with intelligence agents and security personnel embedded amid close relations between Havana and Caracas. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said Venezuela’s spy agency was “basically full of Cubans” as was Maduro’s security detail. MADURO GAVE STATE TV ADDRESS AS US STRIKES IN VENEZUELA BEGAN: REPORT “One of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba,” he said during a news conference in which officials revealed details of the military operation. “They tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint.” He added that the communist island was “a disaster. It’s run by incompetent, senile men — and in some cases, not senile, but incompetent nonetheless.” The secretary has repeatedly denounced Cuba and its leadership as a dictatorship and a failed state. “If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I’d be concerned — at least a little bit,” Rubio said. Trump said Cuba was something his administration would “end up talking about because Cuba is a failing nation right now — a very badly failing nation. US CAPTURE OF MADURO CHAMPIONED, CONDEMNED ACROSS WORLD STAGE AFTER SURGICAL VENEZUELA STRIKES “And we want to help the people,” he added. “It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we also want to help the people who were forced out of Cuba and are living in this country.” Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken by U.S. forces and taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima. They were expected to be transported to the U.S. to face federal charges. The couple, along with other Venezuelan officials, face “drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies,” according to an unsealed indictment posted on social media Saturday by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. They are accused of partnering with drug cartels to traffic drugs into the U.S. Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi wrote. They are charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.
Maduro-backed TdA gang’s expansion into US cities emerges as key focus of sweeping DOJ indictment
The U.S. military carried out a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela Saturday morning, capturing the nation’s dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, who will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez’s vice president, is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S. “It’s just — it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,” Trump said of the operation. REPUBLICANS LINE UP BEHIND TRUMP AFTER US STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO ARRESTED: ‘CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY’ The unsealed indictment focuses on how Maduro allegedly enriched himself and “political elites” by reportedly partnering with vicious gangs and drug cartels that have established syndicates across the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., such as New York. The indictment lists six individuals as defendants, including Maduro, his wife, his son and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The indictment alleges that Maduro “sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.” President Donald Trump has railed against drug cartels for spreading deadly narcotics such as fentanyl in U.S. communities, leading to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths since 2000. Trump has directed his ire at gangs such as Tren de Aragua, which Trump designated a foreign terrorist organization last year. The indictment accuses Maduro and his co-conspirators — including Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín — of partnering with narco-terrorists, including the Tren de Aragua gang and its leader, to distribute cocaine since at least 1999. FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA “In sum, MADURO MOROS and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment states. The indictment alleges that Maduro “participates in, perpetuates, and protects a culture of corruption in which powerful Venezuelan elites enrich themselves through drug trafficking and the protection of their partner drug traffickers.” The indictment says defendants worked in coordination with cartels and gangs such as Mexico’s Zetas, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Colombian group ELN, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army and Tren de Aragua. “TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States, including New York,” the indictment said. “TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling and other illicit acts. TdA has developed additional revenue sources through a range of other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.” MADURO SAYS VENEZUELA IS ‘READY’ TO MAKE DEAL WITH US ON DRUGS AND OIL AFTER MILITARY STRIKES Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of working with cartels, while underscoring how the foreign gangs have infiltrated the U.S. and spread violence and addiction. “TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking,” Trump wrote in a March 2025 presidential proclamation. He doubled down in his press conference on Saturday, warning that “all political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.” Venezuela has argued that Tren de Aragua is no longer an active cartel and was effectively wiped out in 2023, Reuters previously reported. Maduro and 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials were previously charged by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2020 on narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking allegations. The January 2025 indictment expands on the 2020 document, including adding Maduro’s son and wife as defendants. The Venezuelan government said in a statement following Saturday’s strike that “the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira” were impacted by the attack. The nation accused the U.S. of committing a “very serious military aggression” against Venezuela and carrying out “imperialist aggression.” “The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,” the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. “They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.” Trump said on Fox News that Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to a U.S. military ship. The couple will be transported to New York City, where the dictator is expected to stand trial. “Yes, the Iwo Jima,” Trump said on Saturday morning on Fox News. “They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.” The president said he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago, where he spent the Christmas holiday, and praised the military for its efforts. Democrats have taken issue with a lack of notice to Congress over the strike, while MAGA Republicans have rallied around Trump’s decision. Trump held a news conference at Mar-a-Lago Saturday, where he said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until there is a safe transition of power. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So, we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation
Trump vows US will ‘run’ Venezuela until ‘safe’ transition of power
President Donald Trump said the United States is “going to run the country” in Venezuela until what he described as a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place. Trump framed the role as temporary but necessary, saying the U.S. does not want to allow “somebody else get in” before conditions are stable. He said the goal is peace, liberty and justice for Venezuelans, including those who have fled to the United States and hope to return home. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said. He also warned the U.S. is prepared to escalate further if needed, saying, “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack,” and that American forces remain in position. “We’re there now, and we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” Trump said. Trump spoke during a news conference Saturday hours after U.S. special forces bombed Caracas and captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, taking them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO Trump said the U.S. plans to directly manage Venezuela alongside partners while rebuilding the country’s oil sector. “We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly,” Trump said. “We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars. It’ll be paid for by the oil companies directly … and we’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.” He said the U.S. would ensure Venezuelans are “taken care of,” including those “forced out of Venezuela by this thug.” Pressed on whether U.S. forces would remain inside the country, Trump did not rule out a sustained troop presence. “They always say boots on the ground — so we’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” he said, confirming U.S. troops were already involved “at a very high level” during the operation. Trump repeated that the U.S. intends to stay and retain control, saying, “We’re there now. We’re ready to go again if we have to. We’re going to run the country… very judiciously, very fairly.” He added that the U.S. was prepared to launch another attack if necessary and accused Venezuela’s former leadership of stealing American-built oil infrastructure, saying, “We’re late, but we did something about it.” Asked whether the U.S. would back opposition leader María Corina Machado or work with Venezuela’s newly sworn-in vice president, Trump signaled flexibility. He noted the vice president had been “picked by Maduro,” but said U.S. officials were already engaging with her. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great,” Trump said, adding that the issue was being handled directly by his team. Trump continued, “She was quite gracious, but she really doesn’t have a choice. We’re going to have this done right. We’re not going to just do this when they leave like everybody else, leave and say, you know, let it go to hell. If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back. We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money. Use that money in Venezuela. And the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela.” MADURO MET CHINESE ENVOY HOURS BEFORE US CAPTURE FROM CARACAS AS BEIJING SLAMS OPERATION Trump was asked by another reporter, “Why is running a country in South America ‘America first’?” Trump replied: “We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We want to surround ourselves with stability. We want to surround ourselves with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It’s very important that we protect it.” U.S. efforts to run or oversee political transitions in foreign countries have frequently encountered setbacks in recent years, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s approach to Venezuela. The last time the U.S. intervened militarily to remove a leader in Latin America was in Panama in 1989, when American forces ousted dictator Manuel Noriega. While the operation succeeded quickly, it was followed by long-term challenges in stabilizing governance. While the invasion quickly removed Manuel Noriega, it resulted in significant civilian harm. Estimates of civilian deaths vary widely, and entire neighborhoods — most notably El Chorrillo in Panama City — were heavily damaged, leaving thousands homeless. This complicated post-invasion stabilization and fueled lingering resentment among parts of the population. MARÍA CORINA MACHADO EMERGES AS TOP POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR AFTER MÁDURO’S FALL But after years of soaring hyperinflation that wiped out savings, hollowed out wages and fueled mass migration, some U.S. officials — and many Venezuelans — believe virtually anyone who comes to power would be better than Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelans inside the country and those who fled to the United States were seen celebrating in the streets during moments of heightened U.S. pressure, according to videos that circulated widely on social media. Venezuelan opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and his running mate Machado have positioned themselves as the alternative to President Nicolás Maduro, insisting they won last year’s presidential election despite the government’s declaration of Maduro as the victor. Machado, who was barred from holding office by the Maduro-appointed high court, threw her support behind González as a unity candidate, while the opposition and several international observers rejected the official results as fraudulent. González has since left Venezuela amid pressure from the Maduro government, while Machado’s present whereabouts is unknown, urging continued domestic and international pressure to force a political transition. After the capture, Machado called on Venezuela’s armed forces to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the country’s “legitimate president” and commander-in-chief, while declaring the opposition is prepared to “assert our mandate and take power.” In a defiant statement, she said “the hour of freedom has arrived,” argued President Nicolás Maduro