Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee weighs in on Venezuela
As the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Himes says he was never briefed on the Venezuela mission.
More Stories
As Congressman Jim Himes and other members of Congress are now back to work in Washington, questions remain on what's next for Venezuela.
The United States could be dealing with Venezuela for an extensive period of time. President Donald Trump was asked by the New York Times how long the administration would demand direct oversight of the nation. Trump didn't give a definitive answer, replying, "only time will tell."
In Venezuela, there are now empty streets, shut-down businesses, and militia members armed with weapons. Trump told the Times it could take much longer than a year to get the country back on its feet. He said the rebuilding process will be profitable and will include the taking of oil.
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured during Saturday's strikes on Venezuela's capital city, Caracas, and are now in custody awaiting their next court appearance.
"We're all celebrating the remarkable capability of our military just as we did when they took out the Taliban in Afghanistan, or Saddam Hussein in Iraq, or Muammar Khadafi in Libya. You know we're really, really good at getting the bad guys out, and at least in those three examples I just named, we're really, really bad at what comes next, right," said Himes.
As the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Himes says he was never briefed on the Venezuela mission. He says, "it's illegal under international law. But this administration doesn't really care about international law."
