WA’s congressional Democrats slam ‘illegal military operation’ in Venezuela

The controversial U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend — and President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. would “run” that country — sparked strong responses from world leaders

Washington state’s congressional delegation has issued its own mix of condemnation and celebration, depending on the party.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, issued a searing statement blasting Trump over what she called his “illegal military operation” while drawing “glaring” parallels with the Iraq war.

“I will similarly oppose any war in Venezuela,” Murray said in a Jan. 3 news release. “I refuse to put the lives of servicemembers at further risk, and I refuse to saddle our children with yet another costly war for no good reason.”

Not everyone sees it that way.

In a Jan. 4 post on X, the Washington State Republican Party applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to topple the Venezuelan head and highlighted subsequent celebrations from the “now-free people of Venezuela.”

U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner also lauded the federal administration’s striking foreign-policy move in a series of X posts. The Washington Republican argued over the weekend that it paves the way for more robust oil production in Venezuela, citing oil reserves that had been “producing only a trickle due to the socialist incompetence of the Chavez/Maduro narco-terrorists.”

Baumgartner took aim at Murray’s take, calling it “nonsense.”

“You said nothing about Obama’s poorly planned attack on Libya which has created chaos,” he wrote Jan. 3 in response to a post from Murray on X. “President Trump has demonstrated bold leadership in advancing US security interests in our own backyard. You should sit this one out.”

Trump has vowed for the U.S. to take the reins in Venezuela amid its political upheaval and transition. He said if the new interim leadership — spearheaded by Venezuela’s vice president — doesn’t play ball with the U.S.’s wishes, then more military action could come, Reuters reported.

Maduro and his wife, who was also seized by U.S. forces, headed to a New York City federal court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to all charges, including to narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, according to NPR.

U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, a Democrat whose district includes part of Pierce County, warned Jan. 3 that stripping Venezuela of its leader without congressional approval is “unconstitutional.” Randall said Washington military families do not want the U.S. to enter into another war that drags on and endangers U.S. lives.

“These latest unauthorized military actions in Venezuela have nothing to do with keeping Americans safe, nothing to do with lowering the cost of living, nothing to do with building an economy that is better for all of us,” she said in a statement. “They have everything to do with enriching his circle of oil executives and donors.”

Maduro’s rule has been marred by myriad allegations including human rights abuses and corruption.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, whose district spans parts of Thurston and Pierce counties, said Saturday in an MS NOW segment that despite Maduro’s faults, the U.S.-forced ouster of the head of a sovereign nation sets a “bad precedent.”

Strickland also pointed to the timing of the capture. She noted that Congress members are soon set to discuss health-care premiums; the economy; the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol; and the release of the so-called Epstein files, a cache of documents pertaining to the wrongdoings of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“And what a coincidence: This happens,” Strickland said on MS NOW. “And so, we want answers. We deserve them.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "WA’s congressional Democrats slam ‘illegal military operation’ in Venezuela."

Simone Carter

The Olympian

Support my work with a digital subscription