Democratic strategist calls out party for 'oppose first, think later' response to Trump's capture of Maduro
Democratic strategist and pundit David Brock called out members of his party in an op-ed for the Washington Post on Thursday over their response to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, as many condemn the Trump administration's actions.
"Democrats should say this out loud: The United States is allowed to defend itself. It is allowed to put foreign criminals in a U.S. courtroom. If we Democrats seem like we’re defending a narco-state’s sovereignty over American neighborhoods, we deserve to lose," Brock wrote.
The U.S. carried out strikes in Venezuela on Saturday that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife, who are now facing federal charges that include narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons-related charges.
"The Biden administration had a $25 million bounty on Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. It wanted him gone. So did most Democrats. But that was then," he added. "After the U.S. captured Maduro, a familiar reflex has kicked in across Democratic politics: oppose first, think later."
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Some Democrats have argued the operation amounted to an impeachable offense.
"This violation of the United States Constitution is an impeachable offense," Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "I urge my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives to finally join Democrats in reasserting congressional authority by holding this president accountable for this gross violation of the Constitution."
Brock pushed back on Democrats labeling the operation illegal, arguing that the facts "shouldn’t be controversial."
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio called this 'a law enforcement operation.' This was not an invasion. It was not an occupation or a coup. It was an arrest raid executed flawlessly with military force to extract the target. Call it what it is. Do not call it Iraq," he wrote.
President Donald Trump was pressed on comparisons to Iraq during a phone call with MS NOW's Joe Scarborough on Tuesday, which the host relayed to his audience.
"When I pressed comparisons with America’s failed occupation of Iraq, the president’s response was very different. I asked him, I said, ‘Mr. President, when you say, "we’re going to run everything," that obviously causes deep concerns because of the disaster in Iraq.’ The president’s response: 'Joe, the difference between Iraq and this is that Bush didn’t keep the oil. We’re going to keep the oil,'" Scarborough said, quoting Trump.
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Brock shut down the Democrats' argument over congressional approval, which he described as a "loser." He called out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for his response, which he argued "hands Republicans what they want: Democrats sounding more upset about their supposed prerogatives than about American deaths from drug trafficking."
"So what is the right posture? It is neither reflexive condemnation nor a blank check. It is strength with limits. It is a simple message voters understand: Fine, arrest the narco boss. Now tell us how it ends," Brock wrote.