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Posted on 01/03/2026 3:42:56 AM PST by RandFan
In an early sign of congressional concern about the U.S. operation, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah questioned President Trump's authority to use the military in Venezuela without authorization from Congress.
"I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force," he said in a social-media post.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
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Sen. Mike Lee of Utah
What timing for me to come back from a break...
There was no attack. The FBI had served an arrest warrant, and the military was required for their protection.
Trump only has 3 years left in office. He doesn’t have time to wait for Congress to approve.
Here is hoping Elissa Slotkin is next.
They’ll likely be too busy impeaching him, anyway.
I believe the War Powers Act is considered a bit “iffy” as to its Constitutionality — but even under the WPA, the Commander in Chief can authorize use of the military for 60 days in the event of an attack on the US. Certainly Trump would argue that the Venezuelan cartels have been attacking the US with drugs for many years.
Did Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah get permission to give nearly every tech job in the US to invading Indians?
It’s tenuous in my opinion and will it hold up in court?
This Maduro cannot set foot on US soil the lawyers will have a field day. He’s going to gitmo
This was obviously unconstitutional since Congress and the Judicial Branch were asleep during the raid.
Lol.
It would be like Pablo Escobar taking control of Colombia.
Good point!
I don’t know if any civilians working for the military right now are earning wartime pay but if they are it should be on their pay stubs.
Mike Lee (R-Mumbai). Sen H1B should go back and read the War Powers Act.
Mike Lee is not "disappointed," he is, along with Ted Cruz, the leading constitutional scholar in the United States Senate who is properly concerned about the essential constitutional architecture of the nation. How far does the authority of the president to engage in war extend? Where does the authority of Congress begin?
The Constitution is explicit, the president is the commander-in-chief but only Congress can declare war. The funding of war must be the product of an act of Congress, consented to by the president, or overridden by a supermajority of Congress in the event of a veto by the president.
The Constitution was drafted and ratified in the age of sail yet we live, or die, today under the threat of hypersonic nuclear missiles. So the framers drafted an instrument at a time when questions of war could be decided deliberately because there was time. Today we have no time, that is why officers dog the footsteps of the Present of the United States with the nuclear "football."
Mike Lee is not a fool, he knows the real-time practical value of smoking Maduro and replacing him with the Nobel Peace Prize winner. His vision runs farther and extends deeper.
This issue has occurred and reoccurred several times since the 2nd world war. Harry Truman fought the Korean War without a declaration as a "police action." Lyndon Johnson contrived the Tonkin Gulf resolution to cloak his ill conceived war in Vietnam.
An angry Congress passed the so-called War Resolution Act of 1973, requiring the president to consult with Congress, report to Congress within 2 days of the action and potentially withdraw within 60 days.
So the Congress passed this law over Nixon's veto, a law that has been complained about by every president since then, but observed with varying fidelity by many of them. Obviously, non-constitutional legislative compromise is an attempt to align the Constitution with the technological realities of the 20th and now the 21st century.
Every kinetic action by a president creates a precedent, so Mike Lee is more than justified; he should be applauded for framing the issue so that it is openly debated in a constitutional democracy. We are setting precedents now that should be thoughtfully made. We are, after all, about our business, we are a constitutional conservative forum.
I think this may have more to do with election interference.
United States Attorney's Office - Southern District of New York (March 26, 2020): Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Narco-Terrorism Charges Against Nicolas Maduro, Current And Former Venezuelan Officials, And Farc Leadership
President Trump was executing an arrest warrant.
-PJ
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