Representative Dan Goldman’s Statement On President Trump’s Actions In Venezuela

New York, NY - Today, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (NY-10) released the following statement:

“The President’s unilateral and unauthorized military operation in Venezuela should scare every American, and his explanation this morning will undoubtedly scare every democratic ally around the world. Congress has the sole power to declare war, and Congress has not done so, nor have we been provided with any satisfactory explanation for the President’s invasion of another sovereign nation. This violation of the United States Constitution is an impeachable offense.

“Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate and brutal dictator who has oppressed the Venezuelan people, stolen elections, and overseen a corrupt and authoritarian reign of terror. Yet by using the same illegal and unconstitutional tactics as Maduro, President Trump not only undermines our democracy and violates our Constitution but also emboldens dictators around the world. 

“President Trump’s purported justification for the capture and arrest of Maduro because of narco-terrorism is blatantly contradicted by his recent pardon of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted in a U.S. court for trafficking hundreds of tons of narcotics and sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison, as well as the recent dismissal of narco-terrorism charges against top MS-13 leader Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, who was deported to El Salvador without facing justice in a U.S. court.

“Instead, I believe President Trump’s true motivation is to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil resources as a favor to American oil executives who helped get him elected. Such a rationale – blood for treasure – is unconscionable and anathema to every value this country holds dear.

"I urge my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives to finally join Democrats in reasserting Congressional authority by holding this president accountable for this gross violation of the Constitution.”

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