When the pre-dawn raid that ousted and captured Nicolás Maduro unfolded on January 3, 2026, it was a sober reminder that America still has the will and capability to go after the tyrants who threaten our homeland and our neighbors. For years Maduro trafficked in narcotics and terror, and the operation that brought him to U.S. custody was a clear answer to a long-standing problem that left Americans vulnerable to cartel poison and anti-American regimes.
Maduro and his wife were promptly flown to the United States and arraigned in Manhattan on longstanding drug and weapons charges, where they pled not guilty and began the slow grind toward accountability under American law. Bringing criminal actors to justice—even when they wear the robes of a so-called president—is exactly the sort of decisive, law-enforcing action that national leaders owe their citizens.
Of course, the predictable chorus of international hand-wringing and legalistic protest followed, with elites lecturing the U.S. on “sovereignty” while ignoring the blood and chaos Maduro exported for decades. Influential legal voices and think tanks raised questions about international law, but let us not forget: Maduro’s regime spent years building a narco-state and aligning with authoritarian actors hostile to American interests.
Back home, establishment Democrats and their media enablers rushed to lecture the president and the Pentagon, even while many of those same voices had long advocated for regime change in Caracas; the Senate even moved a war powers measure to try to blunt further necessary action. Washington’s knife‑turning is predictable, but it should not distract from the core fact that America acted to protect its citizens and to enforce the law where others would not.
That hypocrisy is exactly what conservative commentators and independent voices exposed this week, as clips circulated showing how networks like CNN pivoted from applause for pressure on Maduro to sanctimonious outrage the moment the job got done. Prominent commentators shared footage and analysis that put the media’s double standards on full display, and even senior officials who stood beside the president were there to defend the brave men and women who executed a difficult mission.
Patriots should be clear-eyed: rooting for our troops and for American strength is not warmongering, it’s stewardship. The men and women who carried out this mission risked life and limb to stop drug pipelines and terror networks that have bled our cities dry for too long, and they deserve our gratitude—not partisan grandstanding from those who cheer for outcomes only when it fits their narrative.
Hardworking Americans know the difference between principled restraint and cowardly inaction, and they understand that sometimes protecting our liberty requires bold choices. If Washington’s elites and pundit class want to keep carping and filing lawsuits, let them; real leadership means standing with our soldiers, enforcing justice, and making sure the American people are safe and free.
