Rep. Jim Himes says Maduro capture is "clearly illegal under international law" [View all]
Source: CBS News
January 4, 2026 / 2:16 PM EST
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that the operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was "clearly illegal under international law," while pointing to broader implications.
"Think of what Russia and China just learned," Himes said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "Russia and China just learned that all you need to do if you want to go into Estonia is to say that the leader of Estonia is a bad person. You don't even need to make a particularly good case."
The U.S. carried out airstrikes in Venezuela and captured Maduro early Saturday morning. He arrived Saturday night at a detention center in New York City, where he is set to be arraigned Monday on federal charges related to drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the charges.
President Trump and his administration have lauded the operation to bring the "outlaw dictator" to justice. But Himes said "there's no national security expert saying that Venezuela was a mortal threat to the United States." "So what China and Russia just learned is that the beacon of liberty and rule of law in the world has now green lighted snatch-and-grab operations in Estonia, in Taiwan, wherever Xi and Putin decide they want to go next," Himes said.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jim-himes-maduro-capture-clearly-illegal-face-the-nation/
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