Trump lays out Venezuela oil strategy, says he plans to meet with Machado next week in Washington

President Trump briefly spoke Thursday with CBS News' Robert Costa about his overarching policy on Venezuela and about how he defines his foreign policy as responsive to threats. 

Trump called the operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power "incredible the way it worked out."

"It was an incredible military maneuver," Mr. Trump told CBS News. "It had a tremendous impact on everything. The impact has been incredible."

When asked about his policy big picture, and whether it underscores the possible emergence of a "Trump doctrine," the president said he's not trying to pursue a specific ideology.

"No, it's a doctrine of 'don't send drugs into our country.' That's what the doctrine is," Mr. Trump replied. "Don't send drugs into our country."

President Trump re-upped his threats to strike drug cartels on land, which would mark an escalation in his months-long military campaign against alleged narcotics traffickers.

Mr. Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that "we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels," after what he described as a successful campaign of strikes on alleged drug boats at sea. He continued that the "cartels are running Mexico."

President Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado could be coming to visit him in Washington at some point next week.

"I look forward to saying hello to her. That would be a great honor," the president said.

Machado has sought to cultivate a close relationship with Mr. Trump, dedicating her Nobel Peace Prize to him and praising the U.S. military's operation to remove Maduro. But Mr. Trump declined to back Machado as a possible post-Maduro leader of Venezuela last weekend, saying: "She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect."

Machado told CBS News earlier this week that Venezuelans are "very grateful" to Mr. Trump. Pressed on why he appeared to dismiss her as a political leader, she suggested there could be lingering worries about Venezuela's stability and the risk that armed groups could "resist a peaceful transition." But she called it a "united country" and argued most members of the military and police "support an orderly transition to democracy."

In her own interview with Hannity on Tuesday, Machado indicated she may give Mr. Trump her Nobel.

"I certainly want to give it to him and share it with him," she said.

When asked about that Thursday, Mr. Trump responded, "I've heard that she wants to do that, that would be a great honor." 

After the Senate advanced a measure that would block further military action in Venezuela, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California told CBS News the resolution picked up GOP support because "the circumstances have changed" since similar measures failed last year.

He said that "it became very clear in the aftermath of this military operation that this was really about oil," arguing that if the primary goal was just to apprehend Maduro, "it would not have required us to essentially commit to running a country for the indefinite future or seizing its oil."

Five Senate Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to advance the war powers resolution. Prior attempts to block President Trump from taking military action in Venezuela or Latin America without congressional approval had failed.

Even if the resolution ultimately passes the House and Senate, Mr. Trump is likely to veto it, Schiff acknowledged on CBS News' "The Takeout." But he argued that it could "force a real debate" about the president's use of military force.

Schiff told CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes he's concerned "we could really see ourselves getting bogged down" in Venezuela, despite the lack of U.S. forces on the ground right now. He said that it could start with diplomatic staff returning to Caracas, followed by security to protect those staff, and "pretty soon, you've got a major presence in the country."

"Let's face it, there's not going to be a way to run another country at a distance," he said.

At a press briefing, Vice President JD Vance addressed the war powers vote and said he isn't concerned about Mr. Trump losing Republican support in Congress.

Vance said he spoke to the five Republican senators who voted to advance the measure and, in large part, "their argument was based more on a legal technicality than any disagreement of policy."

He also called reports that he and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard were kept in the dark about plans for Maduro's capture "false." Asked by CBS News' Ed O'Keefe about his role moving forward, Vance said it's "going to be whatever the president asks me to do."

Venezuela on Thursday freed five Spaniards in a large prisoner release seen as a concession to the United States after the ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro, Spain's foreign ministry said.

"The government of Spain welcomes the liberation today in Caracas of five Spaniards, one of them a dual national, who are preparing to travel to Spain," the ministry said in a statement.

Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who was among the five GOP senators who voted to advance the war powers resolution, said he sees the issue as "a constitutional debate" rather than "an anti-Donald Trump" stance.

"This debate is bigger than this particular president. I've had the same opinion under President Obama, President Biden, the last President Trump," Paul told reporters outside the Capitol after the vote to push forward the resolution, which seeks to limit the administration's military actions in Venezuela. 

Paul said that while he still supports Mr. Trump, "that doesn't mean I can just sort of give up on a deeply held position that Congress, you know, is intended to be the body that declares war."

A Chinook helicopter pilot who helped plan the operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was wounded in the leg during the pre-dawn mission, said U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News under the condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.

At the outset of the daring operation, a formation of U.S. Army helicopters carrying a squad of Delta Force commandos slipped toward Caracas largely unnoticed.

But as the aircraft drew closer to the heavily fortified compound where Maduro was believed to be holed up, the calm broke. Venezuelan defensive positions opened fire, and U.S. helicopters responded with their own suppressive fire, according to the U.S. officials.

During the exchange, A heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook, the lead aircraft in the formation tasked with inserting the assault team, was struck by hostile fire.

Read more here.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer defended the war powers vote, telling reporters that "Americans are not asking for an endless war" at a briefing held later on Thursday.

"Today, the Senate really took a critical step to reasserting its constitutional authority, and toward stopping President Trump as he's lurching toward another endless, expensive war, all while American families here are struggling," Schumer said.

He added: "The more the American people hear about what's going on in Venezuela, the less they're going to like it, the more fiercely they will oppose it."

President Trump said Thursday that the Senate vote to advance a war powers resolution hampers national security.

"This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President's Authority as Commander in Chief," he said in a post on Truth Social.

He also called the War Powers Act unconstitutional and called out the handful of Republicans who supported the measure that advanced on Thursday, saying other Senate Republicans should be ashamed of them and that they "should never be elected to office again."

Venezuelan authorities are releasing a "large number" of prisoners, some of them foreigners, five days after the ouster of Maduro, parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez said Thursday.

Rodriguez said the government will immediately release "a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals." 

Rodríguez, the brother of acting Venezuela President Delcy Rodríguez, did not say exactly how many people would be released or who they were, The Associated Press reported. 

"Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace," Rodríguez said in an announcement.

-CBS/AFP

The Senate moved Thursday toward limiting President Trump's ability to strike Venezuela as the U.S. leader continues to take unilateral action against the South American country. 

After two previous unsuccessful attempts, the Senate voted 52 to 47 to advance a war powers resolution, days after the U.S. captured Maduro and his wife in a nighttime raid that came not only as a surprise to the former president, but also to Congress. 

Five Republicans joined all Democrats in support of the measure. The GOP senators voting in favor include Todd Young of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri.   

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Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine voted to advance a war powers resolution that would limit President Trump's ability to strike Venezuela, joining Democrats and her GOP colleague Sen. Rand Paul in support of it. 

In a statement, Collins said, "while I support the operation to seize Nicolas Maduro, which was extraordinary in its precision and complexity, I do not support committing additional U.S. forces or entering into any long-term military involvement in Venezuela or Greenland without specific congressional authorization."

"I believe invoking the War Powers Act at this moment is necessary, given the President's comments about the possibility of 'boots on the ground' and a sustained engagement 'running' Venezuela, with which I do not agree," Collins continued.

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced his latest resolution in early December, after the revelation that the U.S. killed two people who survived the initial blast of a Sept. 2 strike in the Caribbean Sea. 

The Senate is voting for the third time on a powers resolution that would limit President Trump's ability to strike Venezuela, as the president continues to take unilateral action against the South American country.   

The vote comes days after the U.S. captured Maduro and his wife in a nighttime raid that came not only as a surprise to the former president, but also to Congress.

A Chinook helicopter pilot who also helped plan the mission to capture Maduro was wounded multiple times in the leg during the operation, U.S. officials told CBS News on the condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.

The helicopter the pilot was flying — a heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook — was struck by hostile fire during the operation. Although it was damaged, it remained airborne and completed its run.

The Chinook was the lead aircraft in a formation of U.S. Army helicopters tasked with inserting the assault team in the Maduro capture mission. They were carrying a force of Delta Force commandos as they slipped toward Caracas in the overnight operation — at first, largely unnoticed. As the aircraft drew closer to the heavily fortified compound where Maduro was believed to be holed up, the calm broke and Venezuelan defensive positions opened fire. U.S. helicopters responded with their own suppressive fire, according to the U.S. officials.

A Pentagon official told CBS News on Tuesday that two U.S. service members were still recovering from injuries sustained during the incursion, which the Defense Department dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve.

"They are receiving excellent medical care and are well on their way to recovery," the Pentagon official said. "Five additional service members suffered injuries but have already returned to duty. The fact that this extremely complex and grueling mission was successfully executed with so few injuries is a testament to the expertise of our joint warriors."

The New York Times first reported the details of the engagement with the Chinook and the pilot being wounded. 

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized U.S. foreign policy in the wake of the Venezuela attack, saying there is a "breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order."

"It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers," Steinmeier said at a symposium Wednesday, Reuters reported. 

He described Russia's annexation of Crimea and its Ukraine invasion as a watershed, and said the U.S.' behavior was a second historic rupture, according to Reuters. 

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Wednesday that 100 people were killed during the U.S. operation, but he didn't offer details on how many were civilians or members of the military.

"So far, there are one hundred dead. One hundred," he said. "And a similar number of injured. The attack against the country is terrible. No one will be able to conceal it up. There's no way this can be concealed. And the world is discovering it in its entirety.

"People who had nothing to do with the conflict died. Civilians. Women who were in their homes. People who were in their homes. They were hit by the impact of the bombs, the incredibly powerful bombs that were dropped on our country."

Russia accused the U.S. on Thursday of stoking tensions and threatening international shipping with its Wednesday seizure of a Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic.

Moscow's foreign ministry said the move will "only result in further military and political tensions," adding that it was worried by "Washington's willingness to generate acute international crisis situations."

The U.S. seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela on Wednesday, including the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1. The U.S. European Command said it was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions and pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro. 

-CBS/AFP

President Trump says he thinks the U.S. could be overseeing things in Venezuela for "much longer" than a year in the wake of the U.S. attack on the South American nation.

He told The New York Times on Wednesday that "only time will tell" how long Washington will demand direct oversight of the country. Asked if that could last three months, six months, a year or longer, he responded that, "I would say much longer."

The president also said he expects the U.S. to be taking Venezuelan oil for years.

"We will rebuild (Venezuela) in a very profitable way," Mr. Trump said. "We're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil. We're getting oil prices down, and we're going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need."

He added that the remaining leaders of Venezuela are "giving us everything that we feel is necessary" even though they had all been loyal to Maduro.

The Senate is expected to take a third vote late Thursday morning on another war powers resolution to limit President Trump's ability to strike Venezuela in the future. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced his latest resolution in early December. It would require "the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress." 

"The indication from the administration [is] that this is not a few days or a few weeks, it's likely a few years of U.S. occupation and involvement in this country," Kaine said Wednesday on the Senate floor. "This is not an arrest warrant. This is far bigger than that." 

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the resolution's lone Republican cosponsor, said earlier this week: "I think bombing a capital and removing the head of state is by all definitions, war."

Without additional Republican support, the measure is expected to meet the same fate as two previous failed efforts spearheaded by Kaine to restrict military action in the region.

Many Republicans have backed the mission to capture Maduro and defended the administration for not seeking approval from Congress, arguing the actions are well within the president's constitutional authority and limited in scope. House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized Wednesday that the U.S. is "not involved with boots on the ground."

Members of the Trump administration, including the president, have muddied the legal arguments by claiming that the mission to capture Maduro was a law enforcement operation that didn't require sign-off from Congress.

Read more here.

Lawmakers offered sharply divided reactions after the Trump administration briefed House members on Wednesday about last weekend's operation to capture Maduro.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told CBS News' Nikole Killion the administration hasn't been "forthright" or "transparent" about the next steps in Venezuela, and said the classified briefing lacked answers to "basic" questions.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California praised the military's execution of the operation, but said it is "not clear what comes next." 

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, said he heard "no plan" for governing Venezuela after the operation. 

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the mission was justified, and said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "gave a very precise, detailed narrative about the operation and what happened."

The Louisiana Republican said the U.S. is "not involved with boots on the ground" in Venezuela and is "not engaging in regime change." 

"It's a competent country with good people," Johnson said. "They just need better governance, and we hope that can be delivered in short order. I think that's the intention, certainly of the administration and of the Congress, and we'll see what happens."

The U.S. carried out operations Wednesday to seize two oil tankers linked to Venezuela — one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean Sea, officials said.

The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, after American forces began following the tanker in the Atlantic last month. It said the vessel was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions.

Two Defense Department officials told CBS News that Navy SEALs took over the oil tanker. 

U.S. officials also announced on Wednesday that "a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker" was seized before dawn in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command said the intercepted vessel, M/T Sophia, was "conducting illicit activities."

A total of four sanctioned tankers have been seized in recent weeks, including two last month.

The Marinera flew a Russian flag, and a Russian submarine and other naval vessels had been deployed to escort the tanker as the U.S. followed it, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the vessel was "deemed stateless after flying a false flag." She said it was part of a "shadow fleet" that transports oil in violation of sanctions.

But Russia's Ministry of Transport said the Marinera had been given temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag. It responded to the capture by saying that "no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states." 

President Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday that Venezuela will use the money that it draws from a recent oil sale deal with the U.S. on "ONLY American Made Products."

Those purchases could include agricultural products, medicines, medical devices and equipment needed to fix the country's beleaguered electrical grid, Mr. Trump wrote.

"In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner – A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States," the president continued.

Since Maduro's capture, Mr. Trump has focused on Venezuela's oil industry, pressing U.S. companies to enter the country — a move he has suggested could help rebuild the oil-rich nation's crumbling infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that oil could serve as a point of leverage over the remnants of the Maduro regime who continue to run Venezuela.

Earlier Wednesday, Rubio announced the U.S. will export between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, which will be sold at "market rates," with revenue used "in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Venezuela's interim government had agreed to release the oil. She added that the proceeds will be put in U.S.-controlled bank accounts and be "dispersed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people at the discretion of the United States government."

It's not clear how much revenue will be drawn from the oil sales. Venezuelan crude oil, which is tough to refine and has historically faced tight U.S. sanctions, has been sold at a discount in the past, though some refineries on the U.S.'s Gulf Coast are set up to process the kind of heavy crude oil that typically flows from Venezuela, according to Reuters.

The U.S. military action removing Nicolás Maduro from power divides Americans, and their views on it connect to what they think the U.S. goals are and what they believe comes next.

Some 48% of U.S. adults approve of the operation and 52% disapprove, according to a CBS News poll taken between Monday and Wednesday. The margin of error is 2.4 points.

At the moment, most think the Trump administration is among other aims trying to get access to Venezuela's oil and expand U.S. power in the region — and when Americans think those are big parts of the goals, they tend to disapprove.

When people think the goals are a lot about stopping drugs, gangs and terrorists, they are more approving.  That view is largely voiced by Republicans.

Either way, that mix of perceptions is partly because most Americans say the administration hasn't clearly explained the U.S.' plans with Venezuela.

Read more here.