UN Ambassador Waltz Calls Venezuela Action ‘Law Enforcement’ After Rubio Legal Stumble

Ambassador Mike Waltz defended the raid to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as a “surgical law enforcement operation” before the United Nations Security Council on Monday, insisting there is “no war” on Venezuela or its people.

Waltz insisted the United States was not “occupying a country” and dismissed claims from several council members that the actions risked destabilising the region, saying:

This past weekend the United States successfully carried out a surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the U.S. Military against two indicted fugitives of American justice: narcoterrorist Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.

Colleagues, Nicolás Maduro is responsible for attacks on the people of the United States, for destabilizing the western hemisphere and illegitimately repressing the people of Venezuela. As Secretary Rubio has said, there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. This was a law enforcement operation in furtherance of lawful indictments that have existed for decades.

The United States arrested a narcotrafficker who is now going to stand trial in the United States in accordance with the rule of law for the crimes he has committed against our people for 15 years.

Waltz’s bid to clarify the framing to council members came one day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent much of his Sunday morning being grilled on cable news over President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would be “running” the country after the capture of Maduro. Across multiple television appearances, Rubio was repeatedly asked to explain the legal authority underpinning that claim, but did not cite any statute, congressional authorization, or constitutional framework granting the power to govern or direct another sovereign state.

On ABC’s This Week and NBC’s Meet the Press, Rubio declined to clarify who would be responsible for “running” Venezuela and insisted the administration did not believe congressional approval was required for the operation, which he also argued was a “law enforcement” action.

Watch above via Fox News.