Several US senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties on Monday called the president's actions in Venezuela over the weekend during the capture of Caracas leader Nicolas Maduro 'unconstitutional' and have requested a broad public discussion for oversight of the actions of officials involved in the operation. Republican Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, told EFE during a press conference in the Senate that the operation against Maduro in Caracas 'is a very bad and unconstitutional precedent.' 'We cannot say that bombing a capital and ousting a foreign country's president cannot constitute the start of a war,' Paul replied regarding the geopolitical repercussions that the capture and transfer of the Venezuelan leader to a federal prison in New York could bring. Paul was one of the few Republicans who did not publicly support the actions of the US armed forces on January 3 when they captured Maduro along with his wife, Cilia Flores, and bombed various targets in different parts of the country, including the Tiuna military fort and La Carlota air base. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine, joined the denunciation that the actions in Venezuela were 'unconstitutional' and added that it is necessary to 'apply pressure' on the officials who participated in the operation and transfer of Maduro without having previously notified Congress. Kaine added that 'a series of public hearings in the main Intelligence, Armed Forces, and Foreign Relations committees' are necessary. The statements of both senators came in the Senate hallways, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi were in the building for a private briefing with the leaders of each caucus about the background of the attack. On Monday, Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to all charges they face in the Southern District of New York court during their first appearance, 48 hours after their capture in Caracas.
