This week, brave American special operators executed a surgical operation that removed tyrant Nicolás Maduro from power and brought him to face American justice, a bold action carried out on January 3, 2026. The operation — known publicly as Operation Absolute Resolve — saw Maduro captured in Caracas and transferred to U.S. custody, ending years of impunity for his narco-authoritarian regime. Americans should be proud of our military that carried out a difficult mission with skill and determination.
Predictably, much of the Democratic political class took sympathy with the thug they once turned a blind eye to, rushing to defend Maduro under the convenient banner of “legality” while ignoring his trafficking and brutality. Some Democrats offered tepid praise but immediately pivoted to whining about a lack of notice to Congress, as if sympathy for the victims of Maduro’s narco-state is the real scandal. The left’s reflexive defense of authoritarian regimes exposes their priorities: virtue-signaling about process while celebrating softness over American strength.
President Trump and the administration made a hard, necessary choice to act where diplomatic niceties failed, sending a message that the United States will not quietly tolerate drug-running kleptocrats preying on our streets. The commander-in-chief announced the success of the mission, and the results speak for themselves: Maduro is off the streets and en route to face charges in U.S. courts. Patriots know that decisive leadership keeps Americans safe.
Maduro faces long-standing U.S. indictments for narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking dating back to 2020, and he appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom to plead not guilty. This is not regime change for its own sake — this is bringing a criminal kingpin to justice under American law, where evidence can finally be tested and documented. If anyone thinks criminals should enjoy diplomatic immunity while exporting poison, they are siding with the cartels, not the rule of law.
Some on the left shriek about “constitutional violations” and demand Congresses’ blessing now that the job is done, ignoring that doing nothing for years is also a choice with consequences for American lives. Hypocrisy should be called out: those who soft-pedal tyrants and appease dictators suddenly discover a love for process only when a Republican shows backbone. If the question is whether America will act, the answer must be that liberty-loving nations cannot afford paralysis.
Meanwhile, Venezuelans and the hemisphere face a brutal reality after decades of Maduro’s misrule; reports of repression and reprisals underscore why the U.S. could not afford to stand idle. Congress can debate oversight and process, but it should not turn that debate into a cover for weakness or a resurrection of the tired doctrine that America leads from behind. Now is the time for Republicans and patriots of every stripe to stand tall, support courageous action against narco-terrorism, and demand that justice — not ideology — guide our response.
