“We have had the violation of international law, the U.N. charter, the violation of the territorial integrity of Venezuela, and the kidnapping of a sitting head of state, without going to Congress, without telling Congress beforehand,” said Heather Brandon-Smith, the legislative director of foreign policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Ahead of the December 17 House vote on a pair of war powers resolutions, for example, Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told Congress that they did not have a legal case for launching war and were not preparing to target Venezuela. Rubio denied lying to Congress — relying on the argument that the attack on Venezuela that left dozens dead was nothing more than a “law enforcement operation.” That explanation doesn’t pass muster with Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group who previously served as a legal adviser to the State Department.
Author: Matt Sledge
Published at: 2026-01-05 22:10:14
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