Trump's Venezuela strategy draws scrutiny from Congress as Maduro sits in jail

Ahead of a Senate briefing on the operation to capture Maduro, Democratic lawmakers questioned the Trump administration's Venezuela strategy on Tuesday and pressed for more details, while most Republicans lauded the operation.

Some Senate Democrats have indicated they plan to press for a war powers vote as early as this week to block further military action in Venezuela. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime skeptic of military interventions, is expected to join them. The House and Senate have held similar votes in recent months, all of which have fallen short.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, was unimpressed with an earlier briefing to congressional leaders on Monday, telling reporters that administration officials "have no idea what steps 2 through 10 are going to be."

Other Democrats have questioned the operation's legality, and have criticized Mr. Trump's focus on Venezuelan oil or his suggestion that he will "run" Venezuela.

"If Donald Trump wants to run a country, he should think about running the United States of America," said Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

Republicans have largely stood by the president, arguing the military operation was legal and justified. Most have also expressed confidence in Mr. Trump's strategy.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters he's confident there is a plan for how the U.S. will operate in Venezuela, but "the next few days are going to be key" in assessing the "government structure" and "how willing they are to work with the U.S." 

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said: "We are in charge of Venezuela." 

"For those who are saying that we're going to run and occupy Venezuela, we're not," Graham added. "We're going to build up the country — we're running it for now."

All senators are invited to a briefing on Venezuela on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in a secure Senate location, according to a Senate source.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will brief members, the Senate source said. 

Democratic senators in particular have been pushing for the full Senate to be briefed immediately.

The briefing will take place in a sensitive compartmented information facility or SCIF, a secure location where no phones are allowed. 

María Corina Machado says the people of Venezuela have picked her opposition movement to lead the country after Maduro's ouster less than a week ago. 

Machado spoke with "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil in a network exclusive Tuesday, saying, "We are ready and willing to serve our people, as we have been mandated."

The former legislator won a primary race to run against Maduro in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election. The government then banned her from running, but retired diplomat Edmundo González stepped in as a replacement. The U.S. and other governments recognized González as the winner after the Maduro government was accused of rigging the vote tallies.

Machado also called interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who remains in control of Venezuela, "one of the main architects" of Maduro's oppressive regime.

"Everybody in Venezuela and abroad knows perfectly who she is and the role she has played," she told Dokoupil.

Venezuelan authorities have agreed to give the U.S. between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil, President Trump said in a social media post Tuesday evening.

"I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president claimed that the oil would be sold at "Market Price," and that the revenue from those sales "will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!"

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright would organize the process of transferring oil from Venezuela to the U.S., the president said. He didn't offer further details about where the oil would be coming from or who exactly authorized the transfer. The Venezuelan government didn't appear to respond to the president's post.

Mr. Trump said the oil will be taken by storage ships and "brought directly to unloading docks" in the U.S.

The president has pushed for increased oil production in Venezuela, encouraging U.S. firms to invest in the country. Some experts have predicted that it could take a while for foreign oil companies to enter Venezuela, considering the high cost and political uncertainty.

The White House said Tuesday officials are discussing a wide range of options for acquiring Greenland, including using the U.S. military to take it by force.

Senior administration officials are also discussing possibly acquiring Greenland from Denmark or forming a compact of free association, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Reuters was first to report these developments. 

"President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," Leavitt said. "The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief's disposal."

President Trump has made clear for months that he thinks the U.S. needs to control the Arctic island to ensure the security of America and its NATO allies, citing its strategic location.

The leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have strongly objected to the idea of the U.S. taking over the island. The Danish prime minister said Monday a U.S. takeover would effectively mean the end of the NATO alliance.

President Trump isn't denying the possibility of further American expansion, intervention or annexation efforts in the Western Hemisphere after the military's success in plucking former Maduro from Caracas over the weekend to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S.

In the past, he's threatened to annex Greenland and Canada and predicted the governments in Cuba and Colombia would fall. Now, Mr. Trump is making similar comments again and raising new questions about what he plans to do next.

Read more here.

During the U.S. operation in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were injured trying to escape to their safe room, according to a senior military official and a source familiar with Monday's congressional briefing.

Special operations forces threw flash-bangs into the area where they were found.

When U.S. authorities arrested the couple, they were already bleeding.

In court Monday, attorneys for both Maduro and his wife requested that health and medical issues be attended to for their clients.

Flores' attorney said that "during her abduction," she "sustained significant injuries," including bruised ribs. He requested that she receive a medical evaluation. Maduro's lawyer also made a request regarding health and medical issues on behalf of Maduro.

Journalists in the courtroom observed visible bruising and bandages on Flores' head.

The Venezuelan military said Tuesday it faced 24 deaths in the U.S. operation, and the Cuban government has said 32 of its military and intelligence personnel were killed.

Meanwhile, two U.S. service members are still recovering from injuries sustained during the operation in Venezuela, according to a Pentagon official. Five other service members injured in the operation have already returned to duty, the official said.