'It's a violation of the law': Schumer criticizes Trump's decision to strike Venezuela
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer addressed on Sunday the stunning U.S.strike on Venezuela, saying the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was unlawful."Maduro is a horrible, horrible person, but you don't treat lawlessness with other lawlessness, and that's what's happened here," Schumer told "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.
"There is no authority ...they did not just do ships off the water.
They went inside Venezuela, bombed civilian as well as military places, and it's a violation of the law to do what they did without getting the authorization of Congress."Despite President Donald Trump’s claims on Saturday that the United States was "going to run" Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," the Democratic senator told Stephanopoulos that "nobody knows" who is actually running Venezuela right now."The American people this morning, George, are scratching their heads in wonderment and in fear of what the president has proposed," Schumer said."We have learned through the years when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars."Schumer expressed skepticism that U.S.
oil companies could fix Venezuela's oil infrastructure, a claim Trump made after the strike."It seems sort of a back-of-the envelope operation, at least by what they've told people," Schumer said."These oil fields have been in disrepair for years.
We have no idea how long it's going to take, how much it's going to cost, and whether we need military troops guarding the oil fields while we do it."Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with ABC News while appearing on This Week, Jan.4, 2026.ABC NewsSchumer also criticized Trump's involvement in Venezuela after his frequent campaign promise to avoid overseas conflicts."The American people are worried that this is creating an endless war.
The very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against over and over...