Sen. Andy Kim responds to Venezuela attack:

[Tanuki]

Link to tweet

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I do believe in a country of laws, lying to Congress is a crime.

[COL Mustard]

9. Don't hold your breath

That there will be accountability.

[Alliepoo]

39. You are correct.

Congressional Republicans make clear every single dang day that they support Donvict and are willing to go along with whatever he desires. Also the military has now made clear that they will follow any illegal order that he gives.

[johnnyfins]

51. Oh, there will be accountability eventually.

The majority of people in the US dont believe or support this clown's bullshit and that number is growing everyday.

And he knows it.

[Raven123]

2. I am honestly perplexed by trump's Venezuelan obsession

I have heard a lot of explanations, and one or more may be correct, but I honestly still don’t get it. My suspicion is the that true and /or complete reason has not been fully fleshed out.

[Easterncedar]

4. Epstein, Jack Smith and Oil

[malaise]

20. Ding ding

Rec

[marble falls]

26. Epstein, Epstein and Epstein. In that order. This next dump must be a lulu.

[yaesu]

6. Putin changed his reasons for invading Ukraine many times

Russia's agent orange is just following his puppet master daddy.

[FarPoint]

7. looting comes to mind....

The oil is of a different grade I understand...we don't have the refineries to process this.....but/ the country has much more to offer and looting is my guess.

[marble falls]

29. It's called "Sweet Crude" because of how easy it is to crack. The US used to be the major buyer of it ...

... back when we were the biggest importer of oil in the world.

Now we are the biggest exporter of oil in the world (#1 producer - we produce 2/3rds the amount of oil that #2 Saudi and #3 Russia put together) We just do not need Venezuelan oil. We are still the world's largest or second larger user (after China) of oil.

[NJCher]

10. Reason?

“Reason” and “trump” do not belong in the same sentence.

This guy flies by the seat of his pants.

[Raven123]

11. I have thought of that. The most frightening explanation and very possible

The counter in my mind is that trump isn’t running the country, which means others made that decision.

[NJCher]

14. So it's their reason

That you’re talking about.

That’s a very reasonable point, but I have heard this morning that their oil is not easily refined by our system. I’d like to find out more about that.

[NJCher]

16. This video, just posted

Has some relevant points.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&post&forum=1322&pid=101372

Trump claims their oil is of poor quality, among other tangential issues.

On edit:

Confirmed it is of poor quality.

Search “Venezuelan oil quality.”

[allegorical oracle]

23. Yeah, on the video, djt says the oil's "like tar." But we were buying it, anyway. Believe I've

read that its actually high-quality oil.

[NJCher]

24. Do the search

It’s poor quality and costly to refine.

Saudi Arabia has the best.

[MarcoZandrini]

70. Sorry,

Brent crude is the best. The next best is west Texas intermediate. Saudi oil is similar to Venezuelan oil.

[NJCher]

71. oh, please!

Never apologize to me. I'm not afraid to be wrong, if I am. However, your remark is vague, so I'd like to pin it down. Are you referring to the Brent crude prior to '21 or the mixture that came afterwards?

If it's the latter, your comment goes into the apples/oranges stack, which needs an intro paragraph saying that you're changing the topic slightly. We're talking about countries. Among the many cues is post 29.

Kinda' like parallels in sentence structure, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for your contribution!

[NJCher]

73. I also should have added

Saudi oil is similar to Venezuelan oil.

Not at all; not in the least similar.

Where are you getting this information? Source?

Saudi oil is at the top in terms of a desirable oil. That is why they export so much and one reason Venezuela does not.

[marble falls]

30. "others made that decision" and the Orangeshitgibbon was led to believe he made it. BINGO!

[Raven123]

48. Yikes. Maybe that's why they are waiting so long for the presser

Gotta get trump up to speed. Jeepers frapping crispies.

[marble falls]

49. He's still on the Aderal hangover from New Years, and even less coherant than usual. They gave him a tryout on Fox ...

... this morning and he was blathering, even brought Joe Biden into it. He sounded like he was repeating what he was told when woken up clueless about this travesty.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

62. Piggy up to speed?

Is he ever? He'll just start babbling about his perfect health, his ability to name three animals, and his super gigantic crowds!

[k55f5r]

41. By the seat

Of his shit-stained breeches.

[COL Mustard]

44. Actually, Cher,

He's flying by the seat of OUR pants!

[KS Toronado]

13. Big Oil gave Der orange Fuhrer millions of $$$$$$$$

They wanted something in return, give us back "our" oil fields Venezuela "stole" from us.

[marble falls]

31. The oil companis do not want the headache of foriegn oil fields. They do not care how expensive foreign oil is ...

... when it goes up the US as the largest oil producer gives itself a raise. When it gets too high, we lower our prices to sell more. When it gets too lower, we either drop our production or buy cheap foreign oil.

When was the last time OPEC was in the news? OPEC over played its hand and all of a sudden the US became the largest exporter of oil. OPEC shenanigans gave us fracking. The real money in petroleum is in the refining of it. A tree is worth a lot more as 2x4s than as firewood.

[Wiz Imp]

35. The oil companies want no part of Venezuela at this point

It would currently be impossible for them to make a profit there.

[marble falls]

34. With all due respect and sympathy: nobody holds him down and doses him. The way we "fight" drugs has ...

... them so expensive, so full of adulterant, and gives high paying jobs to gun-toting criminal suppliers. It's not the supplies, it's the demand and our head up our ass drug policies.

I am so sorry to hear about your nephew. It is a crying shame. I just cannot imagine the pain and suffering this has caused your family.

The irony is he is now being prescribed some of those same drugs that he was buying on the streets.

It is a crying shame and a curse.

[Wiz Imp]

38. What does that have to do with Venezuela?

Very little of the illegal drugs originate in Venezuela. A larger amount ARE transported through Venezuela, but they are not the source of the drugs. And very little of the drugs that pass through Venezuela end up in the US. Most end up in europe.

https://www.kcra.com/article/venezuela-drug-trafficking-cocaine-fentanyl/69676930
Get the Facts: Is Venezuela a primary drug trafficker to the United States?
The Trump administration has set its sights on Venezuela in its latest campaign against illegal drugs, but data shows that the country is responsible for just a sliver of drug trafficking directly to the United States.

The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed data on cocaine and fentanyl trafficking. While Venezuela is a player in cocaine manufacturing and trafficking, drug seizure data shows that it's not as prominent a supplier of cocaine to the U.S. as other South American and Latin American countries.

There is also no evidence that any significant level of illegal fentanyl — the primary killer in U.S. overdose deaths — is produced in South America, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Most illegal fentanyl enters the U.S. from Mexico, per UNODC and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Illicit fentanyl can also be diverted, or stolen, from legal sources as medical professionals use the drug.

[marble falls]

45. Fair question.

[calimary]

57. True, but there are times when overwhelm takes over and rules the day.

The main question is: how long does this last?

And I truly, genuinely, honestly, and seriously want to know.
Has overwhelm formally taken over? Taken us all by the throat?

And it has to be faced: how permanently have we been disabled?

Are we all either asleep or strategically paralyzed? How far have the manipulation and mind control been allowed to go? And realistically, is there ANY meaningful pushback? I’m finding all off this not only truly insane, but also terrifying.

[marble falls]

67. More great questions! No doubt: we are running at peak overwhelm.

[at140]

64. I don't care if drug traffickers are big or small

I have a personal tragedy in family from illicit drug traffic. I have only contempt for each and every drug trafficker no matter from where or which country.

[Wiz Imp]

68. Again, what does that have to do with the original post you responded to which was about Andy Kim calling out

Rubio and Hegseth for lying to Congress? And if you think Trump's meddling in Venezuela has anything remotely to do with drugs, then I have a boatload of bridges to sell you.

[MadLinguist]

28. Getting the US on war footing to justify emergency power

for mass deportation operations is one motivation. So far he's been losing in court. Venezuela's looking weak and inviting. Multiple motivations are likely.

[PatSeg]

37. I agree

This obsession never made sense to me. The same with Greenland. Being it is Trump, I thought it might be just mindless saber-rattling as a show of strength. I know it is a convenient distraction for Trump, but it feels like there is something more to it. Maybe Putin whispering in his ear?

[COL Mustard]

43. If I were Denmark, which obviously I'm not....

I would be putting my military on heightened alert posture near Greenland.

This begs the question: if a NATO country attacks another NATO country and the attacked country invokes Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which side does the rest of NATO join in on?

Also, how many times can I use "NATO" in one sentence? Feel free to grade my homework.

[PatSeg]

56. Ha, ha, not quite Dr. Seuss!

I believe I read that Denmark has put their military on heightened alert in Greenland.

I've sworn at my computer several times already this morning. I really, really hate this monster.

[NJCher]

60. I read it, too

eom

[Alliepoo]

40. Greenland should be paying attention

And preparing for what Donvict might do next. He has already signaled his intentions although I don’t think he was taken very seriously. He should be, imo.

[COL Mustard]

42. I'm not saying this had anything to do with it, but I'm not saying it didn't have anything to do with it:

https://www.duffelblog.com/us-invades-venezuela-after-discovering-massive-stores-of-big-booty-latinas/

[marble falls]

46. Too soon?

[COL Mustard]

58. It's a satire post from September.

The site has many others, if you are interested.

[marble falls]

66. I love outrageous comments. I thought that one was a crack up!

[COL Mustard]

69. They don't spare anyone.

You ought to read their comments about Hegseth, for one. Things like he showed up for the Army-Navy game in full pads; he's so patriotic he keeps a constant BAC of .1776; the fog of war caused him to wrap his car around a telephone pole...good stuff and well written...obviously under pen names.

[Lonestarblue]

55. When Venezuela nationalized their oil industry, Chevron and other oil industries lost money.

Trump asked oil billionaires to give him a billion dollars for his campaign. His payback is to hand them Venezuela’s oil resources, and Venezuela will receive pennies while they earn billions. Trump will probably be paid a cut under the table.

In addition, Venezuela has some rare earths that can be exploited to reduce US reliance on China.

[Raven123]

63. Now that I saw his presser, it looks like you are correct

[Retrograde]

61. Trump Resorts along the Carribean?

Or he knows he’s not long for this planet and wants to go out with a literal bang?

Or Hegseth wants to play GI Joe with real soldiers. No one in this administration seems in touch with reality

[LeftishBrit]

65. I'd assumed it was the same reason as much of the Middle Eastern obsession.

Three letters: O.I.L.

Whatever the reason, it's all bloody terrifying!

[BH liberal]

3. Congressional Republicans have completely abandoned...

any pretext of being our federal legislative body that is supposed to check the executive branch. Trump has been given the reins of government on a golden platter. He is now the dictator that our founding fathers feared would someday be put in place by a wealthy elite with the wherewithal to buy governmental leadership.

[superpatriotman]

5. This is the regressives mess

Let them clean it up.

[marble falls]

47. Then it will not be cleaned up.

[UTUSN]

8. K&R

[oasis]

12. "Constitutional approval? constitutional approval?

we don’t need to show you no constitutional approval” says bandito Trump.

[liberalgunwilltravel]

15. Oil!

This cluster fuck is all about the oil and payback to the oil companies’ executives that funded Trump’s campaign. It also provides the potential means to manipulate gas prices to give the scum bag republicans a chance in the midterms.

Another important consideration besides just the oil, Venezuela has the second largest refining capacity in the world. Limited refining capacity has frequently been used as an excuse to the reason why even when oil is cheap, gas is not. Additional refining capacity has the potential for the kinds of price manipulation I was suggesting above.

[malaise]

17. Excellent response

Rec

[mdbl]

18. I wish they would also post on Bluesky.

All twatter exchanges on my browser are blocked.

[littlemissmartypants]

54. He does.

Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress.

Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress.

— Senator Andy Kim (@kim.senate.gov) 2026-01-03T10:37:29.506Z

[mdbl]

59. Thank you.

[malaise]

19. Thanks for this

K & R

They lied to Congress - what a surprise

[Ocelot II]

21. Iraq 2.0.

[BradBo]

22. Impeachment time.

[dalton99a]

25. Kick

[JustAnotherGen]

32. More of this

THIS is his job and needs to be his main focus - not Trenton.

[LaMouffette]

36. I think reason #1 is the oil and paybacks to the "oil-igarchy" campaign donors who undoubtedly are funneling millions to

the Trump crime family. Speaking of the oil-igarchy, how does this attack on Venezuela benefit Saudi Arabia? If they benefit, then this is also a payback to the Saudis for Kushner's $2 billion-dollar gift.

Reason #3: Trump is a cruel and vindictive and utterly soulless monster,who thinks bombing countries makes him one of the cool kids, like his idol Putin, whom he craves to impress.

[Seinan Sensei]

52. Reason #1 is Epstein

My opinion
There are plenty of payoffs that Clownface and his circus anticipate.
But reason number one is getting Epstein Files out of the headlines.

[LaMouffette]

72. Wow. I was so upset over the Venezuela situation, I left out my #2 reason altogether, which was Epstein! But you are

right: Epstein is the #1 reason.

What I can't believe is that Pam Bondi and President Rump haven't found a way to lose or destroy all of the Epstein files. Doesn't the basement at Mar-a-Lago ever flood anymore? Are they waiting for another Rump family member to fall down some stairs and die so they can bury the files on one of Rump's golf courses again (just speculation on my part about dearly departed Ivanna Rump's burial at the golf course).

[orleans]

50. "no new wars"

Link to tweet

[Martin68]

53. Impeach the fucker. We're the ones who need regime change.