Calls for the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump are gaining momentum following his administration’s controversial military operation in Venezuela, which led to the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
While Trump has praised the action as a “spectacular assault,” the United Nations warned on Tuesday that the operation had made “all States less safe around the world,” amid widespread concern from global leaders.
Since the pre-dawn raid in Caracas on Saturday, Trump has also suggested the possibility of further interventions elsewhere, fuelling criticism at home and abroad over the legality and implications of the action.
In the United States, several Democratic lawmakers have described the operation as an impeachable offence, accusing Trump of bypassing Congress and violating both domestic and international law. Rep. April McClain Delaney of Maryland urged Democrats to “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” saying, “Over the weekend, we saw the President—without authorization or approval from Congress, as required by our Constitution—launch an attack on Venezuela and voice his intention to ‘run’ the country.”
Others echoed the call, with California state Senator Scott Wiener describing the operation as an “illegal invasion and coup,” while Rep. Delia Ramirez said Maduro’s capture amounted to a “kidnapping” and insisted that “Trump must be impeached.”
The White House, however, defended the action, saying it lawfully executed a federal arrest warrant against Maduro for alleged criminal activities, dismissing Democratic criticism as “twisted stands.”