Vice President JD Vance defended the U.S. operation that captured Nicolás Maduro by citing the Venezuelan leader’s U.S. indictment on drug‑trafficking charges. Critics say that rationale is undercut by President Trump’s recent pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted and sentenced to 45 years for facilitating more than 500 tons of cocaine shipments to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to justify the Hernández pardon on NBC, and the contrast between pardoning one alleged trafficker and detaining another is likely to remain a major political and legal issue.
Trump’s Pardon Of Honduran Ex‑President Clouds Justification For Venezuela Raid
Vice President JD Vance moved quickly on Saturday to defend President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, emphasizing that Maduro has been formally indicted in U.S. courts on drug‑trafficking charges.
Vance wrote on social media:
“You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.”
Critics responded that the defense rang hollow because a recent presidential pardon spared another Latin American leader—Honduras’s former president Juan Orlando Hernández—from long federal prison time despite a conviction on related drug‑trafficking charges. As The New York Times noted, two regional strongmen were indicted in Manhattan for corrupting state institutions and facilitating the flow of hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States: Hernández, who was pardoned, and Maduro, who was captured during the raid.
Why The Pardon Matters
Prosecutors say Hernández “orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy” that enriched cartels while Honduras suffered rising poverty, violence and corruption. The indictment alleges Hernández accepted a $1 million bribe, boasted of putting drugs “up the gringos’ noses,” and helped facilitate more than 500 tons of cocaine reaching the United States. Hernández was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison before President Trump granted a pardon last month.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on Nov. 1, 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.(Andy Buchanan / Pool/Getty Images)
Critics contend that using Maduro’s indictment as a principal justification for bombing and seizing Venezuela appears inconsistent with pardoning Hernández, who faced similar allegations and a long sentence. Observers also pointed to the administration’s public focus on Venezuelan oil as another complicating factor in the stated rationale for the operation.
Responses From The White House
When reporters pressed Mr. Trump about whether he would consider pardoning Maduro, the president did not give a direct answer and reiterated claims—without presenting evidence—that the Biden administration had been unduly harsh on Hernández.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged viewers to read the Maduro indictment, which alleges Maduro used state security forces to facilitate, rather than combat, drug trafficking. Host Kristen Welker asked whether Mr. Trump’s pardon of Hernández undercut the administration’s stated commitment to pursuing so‑called narco‑terrorists. Rubio replied that he did not handle pardons and had not reviewed Hernández’s file, and therefore could not defend the president’s decision.
Looking Ahead
The contrasting treatment—pardoning one convicted regional leader while detaining another—creates a persistent political and legal question for the administration. As legal action against Maduro proceeds, critics and allies alike are likely to revisit the pardon of Hernández and ask whether U.S. policy toward alleged state‑linked trafficking is consistent.
Reporting referenced: The New York Times; NBC’s Meet the Press.
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