Grassley protests exclusion from Venezuela briefing, given 'law enforcement' justification

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

01/05/26 7:17 PM ET


Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, respectively, slammed the Trump administration for not including them in a Monday briefing on the operation in Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The two senators, citing the administration’s argument that the mission was a law enforcement operation, wrote in a joint statement that there is “no legitimate basis” for their exclusion from the briefing.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine briefed leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) were also in attendance for the briefing.

“The administration’s refusal to acknowledge our Committee’s indisputable jurisdiction in this matter is unacceptable and we are following up to ensure the Committee receives warranted information regarding Maduro’s arrest,” Grassley and Durbin wrote.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5673801-senators-slam-trump-venezuela-operation-briefing-exclusion/

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Link to Senators Durbin and Grassley JOINT STATEMENT - Grassley-Durbin Statement on Judiciary Committee’s Exclusion from Administration’s Briefing on its Operations in Venezuela

That's "retribution" and "punishment" for not getting rid of the "Blue Slips" for judiciary and U.S. Attorney nominations.

[24601]

1. Agree completely that Grassley and Durbin are the Chairman and Ranking member of Judiciary which should have been

primary jurisdiction. As I understand it, Delta had been reassigned to the DOJ for the operation, analogous to Seal Team 6 being reassigned to the CIA for the Operation that killed Bin Laden. DoD provided forces but did not exercise operational control.

While these reassignments may seem technicalities, there really is a difference between an Army & Navy invasion and sending the CIA & DOJ to conduct Covert or Law Enforcement actions.

[Snoopy 7]

2. So what

What are they going to do send a stern letter which will account for NOTHING. This administration doesn't care or listen to the people who disagree with them, even if they are breaking the law or not. Until THE ENTIRE REPUBLICAN PARTY decides to hold these people accountable nothing will change. The orange man with the blond squirl on his head will do as he pleases. Don't forget what you should be focusing on is Monopolies, Oligarchs & Citizen United they need to be over turned or nothing will change.

[myohmy2]

3. over the years...

...the politicians had many opportunities to stop trump but they refused to do so...

...every time trump fell through the system's cracks he became stronger...

...now that's too late and we're all along for the ride, they 'protest'...

...they've only themselves to blame...

...irrelevant...

[democrank]

5. I don't think Trump fell through any system's cracks.

He was enabled and encouraged to do whatever he wanted, legal or not. Republicans in Congress simply gave up on oversight. Our country’s Constitution, laws and precedents obviously didn’t mean much to most Republicans with the power of oversight.

Shameful.

[PatSeg]

7. For most republicans,

the constitution was just a political prop that they'd pull out of their pocket and wave before a camera. Apparently many of them never bothered to read it.

[LuvLoogie]

4. Huh? What?

[area51]

6. Nonsense, Grassley.

You voted for this. FAFO.

[Clouds Passing]

8. Just retire gramps

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Top Republican joins Trump reaming as powerful committee shut out of Maduro briefing

trump is claiming that his administration did not have to notify Congress of the action in Venezuela because this was merely a law enforcement action with some military support and not an invasion or military action. If that is the actual case, then the trump administration needs to brief the head of the Judiciary Committees which are the committees that would have jurisdiction over these actions. trump is NOT briefing the Senate Judiciary Committee and that has pissed off Grassley

Link to tweet

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-senate-venezuela/

President Donald Trump came under fire on Monday from both parties' leadership in the Senate Judiciary Committee over his refusal to include them in the briefing about the operation to capture Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro.

In recent months, Democrats have complained that the administration is sidelining their elected officials from participating in Venezuela briefings while keeping Republicans in the loop. This time, however, Trump is simply not including the Judiciary Committee at all, prompting Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL) to release an outraged statement.

The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted that the operation was a law enforcement action, not a military one, partly because the former would not require congressional approval — but, Grassley and Durbin pointed out, if it's a law enforcement action, the Judiciary Committee should at least be briefed on things.

"President Trump and Secretary Rubio have stated that this was a law enforcement operation that was made at the Department of Justice's (DOJ) request, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)," they wrote. "The Senate Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over DOJ, FBI and DEA, and all three agencies are led by individuals who our Committee vetted and processed. The Attorney General herself will be present at today's briefing."

"There is no legitimate basis for excluding the Senate Judiciary Committee from this briefing," they wrote. "The administration's refusal to acknowledge our Committee's indisputable jurisdiction in this matter is unacceptable and we are following up to ensure the Committee receives warranted information regarding Maduro's arrest."

It seems that even the trump administration knows that the claim that this was a law enforcement action is bogus