The Trump administration's decision to keep Congress in the dark ahead of the U.S. operation targeting Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro was correct, Rep. Mike Lawler told Newsmax on Sunday, arguing that the mission's extreme sensitivity left no room for advance notification and warning that any leak could have jeopardized its success.
Speaking on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," the New York Republican said the administration acted properly under the circumstances and complied with the War Powers Resolution by notifying Congress within the required 48-hour window after the operation concluded.
"This was a very sensitive operation and you could not afford the potential of a leak," he said.
Lawler, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was briefed after the operation and spoke directly with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who provided details about the mission. He emphasized that the operation lasted roughly three hours and involved multiple elements that required strict secrecy.
"The idea that this could have been widely briefed in advance is just not serious," Lawler said. "When lives are on the line, you don't take unnecessary risks."
He also pushed back forcefully against criticism from Democrats who accused the administration of sidelining Congress, calling their reaction politically motivated and inconsistent with their prior positions on Maduro.
"The hysteria that many of my colleagues on the left have engaged in over the last 24 hours is hypocritical at best," Lawler said.
He noted that Democrats had long labeled Maduro an illegitimate leader, supported U.S. sanctions against his regime, and backed a multimillion-dollar U.S. bounty tied to his alleged drug trafficking activities.
"Every Democrat said he was illegitimate. Every Democrat said he needed to be removed," Lawler said. "They supported putting a $25 million bounty on his head – but they never followed through. President [Donald] Trump did."
Lawler described Maduro as a "narco-terrorist" who has been indicted multiple times in the United States for drug trafficking and corruption, arguing the operation was best understood as a law enforcement action supported by U.S. military assets rather than a conventional act of war.
He also framed the operation as a strategic necessity, citing Maduro's deepening ties with Iran, China, and Russia, as well as Venezuela's role in illicit oil trading that undermined U.S. sanctions.
"You cannot have Russia and China seizing control in our hemisphere," Lawler said, adding that the administration made a "difficult but necessary decision" to protect U.S. national security interests.
Lawler said the broader objective now is a transition to a democratically elected government in Venezuela, economic stabilization, and renewed cooperation with the U.S. – changes he said could ultimately reduce migration pressures and restore opportunity in the oil-rich nation.
"This is about protecting our own backyard," Lawler said. "And this was a good step forward."
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Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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