Trump officials brief top lawmakers on Venezuela as the UN and key American allies criticize military operation

Top officials from the Trump administration briefed Congressional leaders Monday on its covert raid in Venezuela over the weekend, as the United Nations and key American allies criticized the military operation.

In the early morning hours Saturday, U.S. special forces and law enforcement officials captured now-deposed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the capital city of Caracas. Maduro and Flores were taken to New York to face drug and weapons charges, to which they pleaded not guilty Monday.

Later Saturday, Trump said the U.S. would temporarily run Venezuela, and on Monday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the country’s interim leader.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres told the Security Council at an emergency meeting in New York City Monday he was “deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected” regarding the U.S. operation in Venezuela.

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“The [UN] Charter enshrines the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” Guterres said. “The maintenance of international peace and security depends on the continued commitment of all Member States to adhere to all the provisions of the Charter.”

Several U.S. allies, including Brazil and Mexico, also voiced concern about the military raid, saying it was a violation of the charter, The New York Times reported.

France’s Deputy U.N. ambassador, Jay Dharmadhikari, said the raid “runs counter to the principle of peaceful dispute resolution and runs counter to the principle of non-use of force.”

Violations of the charter and international law by the five permanent members of the Security Council, which includes the U.S., “chips away at the very foundation of the international order,” Dharmadhikari said.

Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., defended the military raid, calling it a “law enforcement operation.”

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Later Monday, American lawmakers sat down with Trump officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Capitol Hill to discuss the Venezuela operation, after being left in the dark in the lead-up to the raid.

Usually, leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives will be notified ahead, during or immediately after a large military operation. Trump said there were concerns Congress would leak details about Saturday’s raid before it was complete.

After the over two-hour classified briefing some lawmakers were still left with questions.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said the briefing “posed far more questions than it ever answered.”

“Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying,” Schumer said.

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Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, also said that “there are a significant number of questions that still need to be answered.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the legality of the raid, telling reporters, “The president used his authority under the law. He did so in a way that caused no casualties on the American side and got the job done with exquisite intelligence and extreme precision.”

Johnson also defended the Trump administration’s decision to notify Congress after the operation was complete.

“Despite the claims by some of my colleagues, under the War Powers Act, there is no requirement for prior Congressional approval or prior notification,” Johnson said.