Rubio Says Maduro Was Never Legitimate President, Will Now Face Justice in U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Nicolás Maduro was an illegitimate leader whose capture by U.S. forces marked a decisive law-enforcement action against a criminal regime, not a war against Venezuela.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Nicolás Maduro was never the legitimate president of Venezuela and will now face justice in the United States following what he described as a narrowly targeted operation authorized by President Donald Trump.

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In prepared remarks shared ahead of his appearance Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said the United States carried out a “surgical operation” on Jan. 3 to apprehend Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom he described as indicted fugitives from American justice.

“On Jan. 3, the United States carried out a surgical operation facilitated by our military against two indicted fugitives from American justice, Nicolas Maduro and his coconspirator Cilia Flores,” Rubio’s prepared statement said.

Although Rubio ultimately did not read the prepared remarks verbatim and instead delivered brief, off-the-cuff comments — which were momentarily interrupted by protesters accusing the administration of war crimes — the written statement laid out the administration’s rationale, legal justification, and broader strategy regarding Venezuela.

Rubio credited President Trump and the U.S. armed forces with dismantling what he characterized as a criminal regime without launching a war or occupying the country.

“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the professionalism of the United States armed forces, a man who built his power on drugs, corruption, and repression will now face justice,” Rubio said.

He forcefully rejected claims that the operation represented the start of a new foreign conflict, emphasizing that no U.S. troops remain deployed in Venezuela.

“There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country,” Rubio said. “There are no U.S. troops on the ground.”

Maduro was apprehended not as a head of state but as a criminal defendant, Rubio said, describing the action as a law-enforcement operation rather than a military campaign.

“This was an operation to aid law enforcement,” Rubio said. “The United States arrested two narcotraffickers who are now going to stand trial in the United States for the crimes they committed against our people.”

Rubio reiterated longstanding U.S. policy rejecting Maduro’s claim to legitimate authority, noting that his 2024 reelection was widely dismissed as fraudulent.

“Maduro is an indicted drug trafficker, not a legal head of state,” Rubio said. He added that more than 50 countries, including the United States, the European Union, and numerous Latin American governments, rejected Maduro’s purported reelection and do not recognize him as Venezuela’s lawful president.

The secretary of state described Maduro’s government as an international criminal enterprise centered on narcotics trafficking, corruption, and repression, arguing that its activities directly harmed Americans and destabilized the region.

“Nicolas Maduro and his co-conspirators plundered Venezuela’s resources,” Rubio said, “as they turned the nation into a base for an international criminal enterprise.”

He said cartel activity linked to the regime fueled drug flows into the United States and drove what he called the largest mass migration crisis in the modern Western Hemisphere.

According to Rubio, Maduro and the Cartel de los Soles forced more than 8 million Venezuelans to flee their homes, creating a humanitarian and migration crisis that spread across the region.

Rubio told senators that interim leadership has now taken control in Caracas, with Delcy Rodriguez assuming authority and pledging cooperation with Washington.

“Delcy Rodriguez has assumed leadership of the interim authorities and has stated her intention to cooperate with the United States,” Rubio said. He added that Rodriguez has committed to opening Venezuela’s energy sector to American companies and providing preferential access to production, while also pledging to end Venezuelan oil support for Cuba.

Rubio cautioned that U.S. support is contingent on continued cooperation and warned that Washington is prepared to escalate if agreements are not honored.

“We are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail,” he said.

He concluded by framing Maduro’s capture as a historic turning point achieved without American casualties or a prolonged military presence.

“The president has made clear that the Western Hemisphere is our home, and we will not tolerate criminality within this hemisphere that harms American citizens,” Rubio said. “History features few examples where so much was achieved at so little cost as was accomplished four weeks ago.”