Mark Levin defended President Trump’s operation to apprehend Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, calling critics who labeled the move illegal "pure evil." Levin praised the administration and cited legal scholar Eugene Kontorovich’s view that the arrest was lawful because the U.S. does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president. Critics including Sen. Bernie Sanders and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the action a violation of federal and international law and warned of consequences for Venezuelan communities in the U.S. The incident has sparked an ongoing legal and political debate.
Mark Levin Calls Critics Who Deem Maduro’s Arrest Illegal 'Pure Evil' as Legal Debate Intensifies
Conservative commentator Mark Levin sharply criticized opponents of President Donald Trump’s operation to detain Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, calling those who labeled the action illegal "pure evil." Levin, a vocal Trump supporter, praised the administration and its national security personnel after Maduro and his wife were arrested Friday night and brought to federal court in New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, weapons violations, and cocaine-importation conspiracy.
Levin’s Response
"Venezuelans are free today! Congratulations and thank you to our tremendous President and Commander-In-Chief, Donald J. Trump, our outstanding Secretaries of War and State, DNI, CIA, and all other parts of our military and national security people — and the United States military!" Levin wrote early Saturday.
Levin amplified a legal defense from scholar Eugene Kontorovich, who argued the capture did not violate international law because the bipartisan U.S. position is that Maduro is not Venezuela’s legitimate president. The United States has not recognized Maduro as Venezuela’s lawful leader since 2019, after rejecting the election that kept him in power as fraudulent.
Critics Speak Out
Several critics on the left condemned the operation and the administration’s statement that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela temporarily. Levin singled out Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), accusing them and others he labeled "Marxists-Islamists" and part of the "Woke Reich" of defending foreign totalitarian regimes and ignoring the law. "They defend totalitarianism regimes against our nation’s own security and interests. Pure evil," he wrote.
"Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law," Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on Saturday, warning that the pursuit of regime change could directly affect New Yorkers, including thousands of Venezuelan residents in the city.
Wider Implications
The episode has touched off a contentious debate about international law, U.S. foreign policy, and the potential consequences for Venezuelan communities at home and abroad. Legal scholars remain divided on the legality of the operation under international law, even as the Justice Department proceeds with charges in U.S. courts.
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