Trump’s Contempt for the Constitution
January 3, 2026
Trump announces the US airstrikes on Venezuela and the rendition of Maduro and his wife to the US. Screen grab from CSPAN.
Donald Trump has, once again, shown his contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law. The President of the United States does NOT have the right to unilaterally take this country to war, even against a corrupt and brutal dictator like Maduro. The United States does NOT have the right, as Trump stated this morning, to “run” Venezuela. Congress must immediately pass a War Powers resolution to end this illegal military operation and reassert its constitutional responsibilities.
Trump’s attack on Venezuela will make the United States and the world less safe. This brazen violation of international law gives a green light to any nation on earth that may wish to attack another country to seize their resources or change their governments. This is the horrific logic of force that Putin used to justify his brutal attack on Ukraine.
Trump and his administration have often said they want to revive the Monroe Doctrine, claiming the United States has the right to dominate the affairs of the hemisphere. They have spoken openly about controlling Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world. This is rank imperialism. It recalls the darkest chapters of U.S. interventions in Latin America, which have left a terrible legacy. It will and should be condemned by the democratic world.
Trump campaigned for president on an “America First” platform. He claimed to be the “peace candidate.” At a time when 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, when our healthcare system is collapsing, when people cannot afford housing and when AI threatens millions of jobs, it is time for the president to focus on the crises facing this country and end this military adventurism abroad. Trump is failing in his job to “run” the United States. He should not be trying to “run” Venezuela.
Video by: Shirli SITBON
Gang of 8 member unleashes on GOP’s Jim Jordan: 'He gave the game away'
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Image via Screengrab / CNN.January 04, 2026ALTERNET
House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) on Sunday slammed his colleague, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), over the Republican’s support of President Donald Trump's “imperial adventure,” telling CNN’s Dana Bash that Jordan “gave the game away" with his defense of the president.
Himes was speaking with CNN's “State of the Union” after the U.S. military on Saturday “captured” Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the pair have been indicted in the Southern District of New York over allegations of “narco-terrorism conspiracy,” among other charges.
Speaking about the Venezuela operation, Himes revealed he has not been briefed by the Trump administration. Himes called it a “particularly egregious example of a pattern of this administration not giving a hoot about the United States Congress.”
Himes went on to personally criticize Jordan over an interview the Republican had just given prior to Himes’ appearance on "State of the Union."
“Jim Jordan just sort of gave the game away,” Himes said. “I hope you can play that interview over and over and over again, because he gave the game away, right? He said over and over again, ‘I trust the president.’”
“Now he's being asked to explain an imperial adventure … from the guy who was going to be 'America First’ and not get into stupid wars. And his answer is, ‘I trust the president. I trust the president. I trust the president.’ That is giving the game away because two thirds of my Republican colleagues in the Congress wake up every single morning and say, ‘What can I do today to prove my loyalty to the president of United States?' And Jim Jordan, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, seems to be unaware that our whole system, our whole system, is set up to provide checks and balances, that the job of a member of Congress is to approach the president, regardless of that president's party, with skepticism.”
Watch the video below, via CNN.
Trump decision to ignore Congress proves War Powers Act 'outright work of fiction': analysis
Sarah K. Burris January 04, 2026ALTERNET
President Donald Trump is using a legally questionable justification for the invasion of Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro, constitutional law experts and lawmakers have complained.
The Guardian's Robert Tait noted that not only did Trump not get congressional authorization, Trump also didn't inform Congress it was happening, under the guise of it "leaking." The White House did tell the New York Times and Washington Post, however.
Typically, administrations tell the so-called "Gang of Eight," a group of top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate that includes the top leadership. One New York Times reporter explained that the group of lawmakers "does not leak."
"In one fell swoop, the capture appeared to render the 1973 War Powers Resolution obsolete, if not an outright work of fiction," wrote Tait.
The act was passed after the Vietnam war when lawmakers grew fearful of an "imperial presidency." It mandates that Trump notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops anywhere. It also requires he withdraw those troops within 60 days unless Congress agrees to legally declare war.
Trump had been signaling this might happen, by declaring fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction," calling Maduro's allies "narco-terrorists" and deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest US aircraft carrier, to position itself off the coast of Venezuela.
Former President Barack Obama didn't seek authorization from Congress for the operation to capture and kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, however, Congress passed an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks for any military actions on al-Qaeda.
Former President George W. Bush also had that AUMF for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ex-President George HW Bush tried to unseat Panama's Manuel Noriega in 1989 without a formal declaration of war, but he didn't get bipartisan support beforehand, The Guardian recalled.
Trump has never sought approval to strike Venezuela or the boats off the coast.
The explanation has been that Trump's military strikes weren't part of a military operation, rather it was a Department of Justice operation. The military only helped. Trump has posted a number of photos from the military action with his top Cabinet officials, and Stephen Miller, watching the attack unfold. Attorney General Pam Bondi was not in any of those photos.
Rubio, who was on hand at Mar-a-Lago for the attack, later explained, “It’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say: ‘Hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.'"
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the "Gang of Eight," said: “Our constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) voted last month to table a war powers resolution seeking to rein in Trump's actions in Venezuela.
In a comment on Saturday, the Guardian quoted him saying: “It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade.”
“Where will this go next? Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies?" he asked.
Read the full report here.
Trump's excuse for ignoring Congress on Venezuela does 'not hold a lot of water': reporter
Sarah K. Burris January 04, 2026ALTERNET
Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can declare war and give a president the authorization to go to war. That law was ignored over the weekend as President Donald Trump staged an attack on Venezuela and captured Nicolás Maduro, who refused to leave the presidency after being ousted in the summer of 2024.
One New York Times columnist noted during a CNN panel Sunday that the excuses Trump gave for not even informing Congress doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
CNN reporter and host Manu Raju asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) whether Trump had articulated his objective on Venezuela.
"I think they've articulated their legal authority," Graham shot back. "I think they've articulated how they decide to blow somebody up or not. But I want clarity right here. President Trump is saying his days are numbered. That seems to me that he's got to go. If it's the goal of taking him out because he's a threat to our country, then say it. And what happens next, don't you think most people want to know that they gave an answer that was confusing to me."
The CNN panel broke into laughter.
"Confusing to me," repeated Raju.
"If they were confused, was confusing to him. Imagine all the rest of us," said New York Times reporter David Sanger.
Trump's excuse for not even telling Congress was the claim of leaks.
"You know, Manu, the Gang of Eight does not leak," said Sanger. "I've been at this for a little while now. They may, after the operation is over, step in and criticize, but at that point, the operation is over. But they do not blow operations in advance. Neither, by the way, does, you know, mainstream media. When they learn of these things in advance."
"So, so the president's argument here, I did not think carried a whole lot of water," he continued. "The second part of this is you could separate out grabbing him as the U.S. grabbed Noriega in 1989, and say, that's the law enforcement part of that. But you have to separate out the law enforcement part from the part we were just discussing, which is the virtual occupation part, the part where we say we now will be essentially running your government.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Image via Screengrab / CNN.
January 04, 2026
ALTERNET
House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) on Sunday slammed his colleague, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), over the Republican’s support of President Donald Trump's “imperial adventure,” telling CNN’s Dana Bash that Jordan “gave the game away" with his defense of the president.
Himes was speaking with CNN's “State of the Union” after the U.S. military on Saturday “captured” Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the pair have been indicted in the Southern District of New York over allegations of “narco-terrorism conspiracy,” among other charges.
Speaking about the Venezuela operation, Himes revealed he has not been briefed by the Trump administration. Himes called it a “particularly egregious example of a pattern of this administration not giving a hoot about the United States Congress.”
Himes went on to personally criticize Jordan over an interview the Republican had just given prior to Himes’ appearance on "State of the Union."
“Jim Jordan just sort of gave the game away,” Himes said. “I hope you can play that interview over and over and over again, because he gave the game away, right? He said over and over again, ‘I trust the president.’”
“Now he's being asked to explain an imperial adventure … from the guy who was going to be 'America First’ and not get into stupid wars. And his answer is, ‘I trust the president. I trust the president. I trust the president.’ That is giving the game away because two thirds of my Republican colleagues in the Congress wake up every single morning and say, ‘What can I do today to prove my loyalty to the president of United States?' And Jim Jordan, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, seems to be unaware that our whole system, our whole system, is set up to provide checks and balances, that the job of a member of Congress is to approach the president, regardless of that president's party, with skepticism.”
Watch the video below, via CNN.
Sarah K. Burris
January 04, 2026
ALTERNET
President Donald Trump is using a legally questionable justification for the invasion of Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro, constitutional law experts and lawmakers have complained.
The Guardian's Robert Tait noted that not only did Trump not get congressional authorization, Trump also didn't inform Congress it was happening, under the guise of it "leaking." The White House did tell the New York Times and Washington Post, however.
Typically, administrations tell the so-called "Gang of Eight," a group of top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate that includes the top leadership. One New York Times reporter explained that the group of lawmakers "does not leak."
"In one fell swoop, the capture appeared to render the 1973 War Powers Resolution obsolete, if not an outright work of fiction," wrote Tait.
The act was passed after the Vietnam war when lawmakers grew fearful of an "imperial presidency." It mandates that Trump notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops anywhere. It also requires he withdraw those troops within 60 days unless Congress agrees to legally declare war.
Trump had been signaling this might happen, by declaring fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction," calling Maduro's allies "narco-terrorists" and deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest US aircraft carrier, to position itself off the coast of Venezuela.
Former President Barack Obama didn't seek authorization from Congress for the operation to capture and kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, however, Congress passed an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks for any military actions on al-Qaeda.
Former President George W. Bush also had that AUMF for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ex-President George HW Bush tried to unseat Panama's Manuel Noriega in 1989 without a formal declaration of war, but he didn't get bipartisan support beforehand, The Guardian recalled.
Trump has never sought approval to strike Venezuela or the boats off the coast.
The explanation has been that Trump's military strikes weren't part of a military operation, rather it was a Department of Justice operation. The military only helped. Trump has posted a number of photos from the military action with his top Cabinet officials, and Stephen Miller, watching the attack unfold. Attorney General Pam Bondi was not in any of those photos.
Rubio, who was on hand at Mar-a-Lago for the attack, later explained, “It’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say: ‘Hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.'"
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the "Gang of Eight," said: “Our constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) voted last month to table a war powers resolution seeking to rein in Trump's actions in Venezuela.
In a comment on Saturday, the Guardian quoted him saying: “It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade.”
“Where will this go next? Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies?" he asked.
Read the full report here.
President Donald Trump is using a legally questionable justification for the invasion of Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro, constitutional law experts and lawmakers have complained.
The Guardian's Robert Tait noted that not only did Trump not get congressional authorization, Trump also didn't inform Congress it was happening, under the guise of it "leaking." The White House did tell the New York Times and Washington Post, however.
Typically, administrations tell the so-called "Gang of Eight," a group of top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate that includes the top leadership. One New York Times reporter explained that the group of lawmakers "does not leak."
"In one fell swoop, the capture appeared to render the 1973 War Powers Resolution obsolete, if not an outright work of fiction," wrote Tait.
The act was passed after the Vietnam war when lawmakers grew fearful of an "imperial presidency." It mandates that Trump notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops anywhere. It also requires he withdraw those troops within 60 days unless Congress agrees to legally declare war.
Trump had been signaling this might happen, by declaring fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction," calling Maduro's allies "narco-terrorists" and deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest US aircraft carrier, to position itself off the coast of Venezuela.
Former President Barack Obama didn't seek authorization from Congress for the operation to capture and kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, however, Congress passed an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks for any military actions on al-Qaeda.
Former President George W. Bush also had that AUMF for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ex-President George HW Bush tried to unseat Panama's Manuel Noriega in 1989 without a formal declaration of war, but he didn't get bipartisan support beforehand, The Guardian recalled.
Trump has never sought approval to strike Venezuela or the boats off the coast.
The explanation has been that Trump's military strikes weren't part of a military operation, rather it was a Department of Justice operation. The military only helped. Trump has posted a number of photos from the military action with his top Cabinet officials, and Stephen Miller, watching the attack unfold. Attorney General Pam Bondi was not in any of those photos.
Rubio, who was on hand at Mar-a-Lago for the attack, later explained, “It’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say: ‘Hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.'"
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the "Gang of Eight," said: “Our constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) voted last month to table a war powers resolution seeking to rein in Trump's actions in Venezuela.
In a comment on Saturday, the Guardian quoted him saying: “It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade.”
“Where will this go next? Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies?" he asked.
Read the full report here.
Trump's excuse for ignoring Congress on Venezuela does 'not hold a lot of water': reporter
Sarah K. Burris
Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can declare war and give a president the authorization to go to war. That law was ignored over the weekend as President Donald Trump staged an attack on Venezuela and captured Nicolás Maduro, who refused to leave the presidency after being ousted in the summer of 2024.
One New York Times columnist noted during a CNN panel Sunday that the excuses Trump gave for not even informing Congress doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
CNN reporter and host Manu Raju asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) whether Trump had articulated his objective on Venezuela.
"I think they've articulated their legal authority," Graham shot back. "I think they've articulated how they decide to blow somebody up or not. But I want clarity right here. President Trump is saying his days are numbered. That seems to me that he's got to go. If it's the goal of taking him out because he's a threat to our country, then say it. And what happens next, don't you think most people want to know that they gave an answer that was confusing to me."
The CNN panel broke into laughter.
"Confusing to me," repeated Raju.
"If they were confused, was confusing to him. Imagine all the rest of us," said New York Times reporter David Sanger.
Trump's excuse for not even telling Congress was the claim of leaks.
"You know, Manu, the Gang of Eight does not leak," said Sanger. "I've been at this for a little while now. They may, after the operation is over, step in and criticize, but at that point, the operation is over. But they do not blow operations in advance. Neither, by the way, does, you know, mainstream media. When they learn of these things in advance."
"So, so the president's argument here, I did not think carried a whole lot of water," he continued. "The second part of this is you could separate out grabbing him as the U.S. grabbed Noriega in 1989, and say, that's the law enforcement part of that. But you have to separate out the law enforcement part from the part we were just discussing, which is the virtual occupation part, the part where we say we now will be essentially running your government.
Sarah K. Burris
January 04, 2026
ALTERNET
Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can declare war and give a president the authorization to go to war. That law was ignored over the weekend as President Donald Trump staged an attack on Venezuela and captured Nicolás Maduro, who refused to leave the presidency after being ousted in the summer of 2024.
One New York Times columnist noted during a CNN panel Sunday that the excuses Trump gave for not even informing Congress doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
CNN reporter and host Manu Raju asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) whether Trump had articulated his objective on Venezuela.
"I think they've articulated their legal authority," Graham shot back. "I think they've articulated how they decide to blow somebody up or not. But I want clarity right here. President Trump is saying his days are numbered. That seems to me that he's got to go. If it's the goal of taking him out because he's a threat to our country, then say it. And what happens next, don't you think most people want to know that they gave an answer that was confusing to me."
The CNN panel broke into laughter.
"Confusing to me," repeated Raju.
"If they were confused, was confusing to him. Imagine all the rest of us," said New York Times reporter David Sanger.
Trump's excuse for not even telling Congress was the claim of leaks.
"You know, Manu, the Gang of Eight does not leak," said Sanger. "I've been at this for a little while now. They may, after the operation is over, step in and criticize, but at that point, the operation is over. But they do not blow operations in advance. Neither, by the way, does, you know, mainstream media. When they learn of these things in advance."
"So, so the president's argument here, I did not think carried a whole lot of water," he continued. "The second part of this is you could separate out grabbing him as the U.S. grabbed Noriega in 1989, and say, that's the law enforcement part of that. But you have to separate out the law enforcement part from the part we were just discussing, which is the virtual occupation part, the part where we say we now will be essentially running your government.
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