Vice President JD Vance reiterated Saturday that President Donald Trump “means what he says” just hours after the strikes to capture Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Vance’s statement comes after Trump announced in a Truth Social post that the United States carried out the strikes.
“The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States,” Vance said in response. “Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.”
Venezuela declared a state of emergency in response to explosions that hit Caracas, per Breitbart News.
“Smoke was seen rising from a nearby military base, and other strikes are alleged to have taken place in the Venezuelan regions of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira,” the outlet said.
Video footage appears to show the explosions in Caracas:
Trump also noted that Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country, Breitbart News noted:
Maduro, who has maintained himself in power through a series of sham presidential elections, is actively wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple narco-terrorism charges. The U.S. has an active $50 million bounty on information leading to Nicolás Maduro’s arrest and/or conviction.
U.S. courts accused Maduro in 2020 of being a leading figure, if not the leader of, the Cartel of the Suns, an international cocaine trafficking operation led by top members of the Venezuelan regime that for years sought to “flood” the United States with cocaine to harm its people.
Wanted poster for Nicolas Maduro. (State.gov)
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that Maduro and his wife have been indicted.
“Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” she stated.
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