President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States would temporarily “run” Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, pending what he described as a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power. Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said the U.S. had carried out an unprecedented military operation in Venezuela, describing it as “an assault like people have not seen since World War II.” He did not give a timeline for the transition process.
“We’re not afraid to have boots on the ground,” Trump said. “But we’re going to make sure that country is run properly. We’re not doing this in vain.” In a report byCBS News, Trump said the U.S.
was in the process of designating individuals to oversee governance in Venezuela, adding that discussions were ongoing. He also indicated that no further strikes were expected and confirmed that no U.S. service members were killed during the operation.
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Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the action as a “massive joint military and law enforcement raid that was flawlessly executed.” Earlier on Saturday, Trump said Maduro and his wife were flown out of Venezuela following what he termed a “large-scale strike.” In a phone interview with Fox and Friends, he said Maduro had been hiding in a heavily fortified residence. “He was in a very highly guarded, like a fortress actually,” Trump said. Trump later confirmed that Maduro was being taken to New York to face charges, after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Venezuelan leader had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on narcoterrorism charges.
“They’ll be heading to New York,” Trump said. “They were indicted in New York.” Bondi said Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” Federal prosecutors first indicted Maduro in 2020, alleging that he and senior Venezuelan officials conspired with the Colombian guerrilla group FARC to traffic cocaine and weapons into the United States. On Saturday, Bondi confirmed that a superseding indictment had been filed.
Attorney Jay Clayton, the indictment accuses Maduro of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. The charges mirror those filed against him and key aides in 2020. Trump provided further details of the capture, saying Maduro was seized before he could reach a secure area inside the fortified residence.
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