Lawmakers question Trump’s Venezuela strike as oil focus grows
Lawmakers are expected to press the Trump administration for answers during classified briefings today.
(NBC)- Lawmakers are expected to press the Trump administration for answers during classified briefings today, with questions mounting over the motivation behind the U.S. strike that ousted Venezuela’s longtime leader and an increasing focus on the country’s vast oil resources.
The briefings for all members of Congress come as President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim authorities will turn over between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States. The oil would be sold at market price, with Trump saying he would control the profits to benefit people in both countries.
The announcement underscores the strategic importance of Venezuelan oil as the administration continues to defend its actions in the region.
Trump praised the U.S. mission that led to the capture of Venezuela’s now-deposed authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.
“It was so complex,” Trump said. “152 airplanes. Many, many — talk about boots on the ground.”
Maduro and his wife are now facing federal charges in the United States, accused by prosecutors of bringing large quantities of illegal drugs into the country.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats are increasingly questioning the administration’s stated justification for Maduro’s removal.
“The president said this was about narco-trafficking, and now he’s saying it’s about oil,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar.
All members of Congress are scheduled to receive a classified briefing on the operation later today, as lawmakers from both parties seek clarity on what comes next.
President Trump has repeatedly asserted that the United States is now “in charge” in Venezuela. However, the country’s interim president — described as a close Maduro ally — has pushed back, insisting that “no external agent” is governing Venezuela. Human rights groups and journalists report her government has cracked down on dissent and detained members of the press.
Concerns are also rippling across the region. In neighboring Colombia — where Trump has suggested the U.S. could focus next — officials are on heightened alert.
“This sets a precedent that is extremely worrying,” Colombia’s representative to the Organization of American States said through a translator. “It threatens regional peace and security.”
European allies are also voicing deep concern, as new details emerge from the White House that President Trump and his team are discussing “a range of options” for acquiring Greenland. Administration officials have said the use of the U.S. military is “always an option,” calling the issue a n
