James Carville warned that if corruption alone were a legal basis for military intervention, the United States itself could become a target. His comments came after reports that U.S. forces detained Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and his wife amid federal drug-trafficking charges, with Delcy Rodríguez installed as interim president. Carville argued the intervention offers little benefit to ordinary Americans and could undermine international order. President Trump also announced plans to sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and control the proceeds.
James Carville Warns U.S. Would Be 'Ripe for Invasion' If Corruption Justified Military Action
Democratic strategist James Carville cautioned that allowing corruption alone to justify military intervention would leave the United States vulnerable to the same logic. His comments came amid reports that U.S. forces entered Venezuela and detained President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face federal drug-trafficking indictments in New York.
According to reports, the couple pleaded not guilty in a New York federal court. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has been sworn in as interim president amid the upheaval. President Donald Trump has reportedly presented demands for Rodríguez to meet and warned of a possible “second wave” of action if those demands are not satisfied. Trump also said he planned to sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and indicated that he would control the proceeds.
Speaking Tuesday on MS NOW’s The Beat, Carville questioned who stands to benefit from the intervention and warned of broader consequences for the international order. He highlighted that the action appears unlikely to deliver tangible gains for ordinary Americans while potentially setting a precedent that undermines rules against unilateral invasions.
“Who benefits from this operation? We’re doing all this. Who’s gonna be a winner? Is a deputy sheriff in some rural Iowa town gonna be the winner here? Is a dental hygienist in Western Montana gonna be the winner here? I don’t think so.”
“It’s not gonna affect your life. In fact, it could very well adversely affect your life because we’re saying, ‘International order doesn’t matter.’ Anybody could—look, if it was legitimate to invade a corrupt, an attempted authoritarian nation, we better get troops on San Francisco and Boston and all up and down the east and west coast, because we would be ripe for invasion if somebody wanted to overturn a massively corrupt regime, which is, in my opinion, what we have here right this minute. And I think it’s unfolding right in front of us.”
Carville’s remarks followed a Reuters poll indicating only about one-third of Americans support the reported intervention. He argued that using corruption as a pretext for invasion risks eroding international norms designed to prevent arbitrary or unilateral military actions.
This developing story includes high-stakes political and legal claims and continues to unfold. Media outlets and officials on multiple sides are reporting different details; readers should expect updates as more verified information becomes available.
Source: Remarks on MS NOW’s The Beat and contemporary news reports.
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