U.S. Delta Force Captures Nicolás Maduro — Face the Nation Panel Debates Legality, Oil Leverage, and Who Will Run Venezuela

On Jan. 4, 2026, CBS's Face the Nation, hosted by Margaret Brennan, aired a wide-ranging discussion about a classified U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his transfer to U.S. custody. The broadcast featured Secretary of State Marco Rubio and lawmakers Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who probed the operation's goals, legality, oversight, and geopolitical consequences.

Operation Overview and Immediate Aftermath

The program reported that the Army's Delta Force executed a rapid operation early Saturday, detaining Maduro and his wife and flying them to the United States, where Maduro now faces drug-trafficking charges in federal court in Brooklyn. Several news outlets cited that the broader military action reportedly resulted in at least 40 Venezuelan deaths. President Trump described the raid as an extraordinary military success and said the U.S. would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

DONALD TRUMP: "And it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II. No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday."

Secretary Rubio: Oil Quarantine and Leverage

From Miami, Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Venezuela's economy is dominated by oil and characterized the U.S. posture as an "oil quarantine." Rubio said U.S. authorities will continue to interdict sanctioned shipments and use court orders to seize vessels tied to the regime — a tool he described as "tremendous leverage" to force behavioral changes. He framed U.S. objectives as stopping drug trafficking, dismantling criminal networks, expelling foreign malign influences (including Iran, Hezbollah, Cuba, FARC and ELN), and ensuring oil revenues benefit the Venezuelan people rather than corrupt elites.

Rubio defended the operation’s narrow tactical focus: capturing the top priority — the man who had claimed to be Venezuela's president and who was indicted in U.S. courts — rather than simultaneous raids across multiple military bases. He said the U.S. would judge interim Venezuelan actors by their actions and retain multiple levers of pressure if they fail to meet expectations.

Congressional Reactions: Oversight, War Powers, and Precedent

Sen. Tom Cotton praised the military and intelligence professionals involved and said the operation should send a message to other indicted Venezuelan officials to change course or face consequences. Cotton defended executive authority to act against imminent threats and characterized the deployment as a decisive, finite operation intended to protect U.S. interests.

By contrast, Rep. Jim Himes and Sen. Chris Van Hollen raised serious concerns about notification, legal authority, and longer-term consequences. Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Democrats in the Gang of Eight were not briefed and warned that the euphoria following a high-profile capture often gives way to the difficult reality of governing and stabilizing a country afterward. He also argued the raid raises troubling international-law and constitutional questions and cautioned against setting a precedent other powers might follow.

Sen. Van Hollen criticized the administration’s motives and transparency, asserting the operation appeared tied to control of Venezuela’s natural resources and warning that the approach risks damaging international norms and complicating efforts to retrieve detained Americans. Van Hollen said he believes the president lacked legal authority to undertake the mission unilaterally and noted that Democratic attempts in Congress to block funding for operations against Venezuela were unsuccessful.

Outstanding Questions

• Who governs Venezuela now? Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s reported deputy, is said to be exercising authority inside Venezuela. U.S. officials say they will assess interim actors by their actions.

• Will there be more operations? President Trump warned a second wave could occur; some lawmakers framed that as leverage intended to pressure other indicted officials to change behavior.

• What about the law? Critics cite international law and the U.S. Constitution, including War Powers considerations and the lack of bipartisan congressional briefings.

• Geopolitical fallout: The role and reactions of Russia, China, Iran and regional actors remain central to the unfolding diplomatic picture.

Face the Nation closed with the issue unresolved: while Maduro is in U.S. custody and the administration emphasizes leverage (not occupation), major questions about legality, oversight, governance and regional stability remain open and will shape the coming weeks and months.

Selected Quotes

MARCO RUBIO: "We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see... changes that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela."

TOM COTTON: "Only the United States military could have pulled it off... the CIA and our military did incredible work."

JIM HIMES: "We're in the euphoria period... it's an awful lot easier to break a country than it is to actually do what the president promised to do, which is to run it."