Amid pointed criticism from former Vice President Kamala Harris that the capture of alleged narco-terrorist kingpin Nicolas Maduro, 63, was "unlawful and unwise," Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out the hypocrisy over the criticism.
"The Department of Justice, dating back in the Biden administration, had a $25 million reward for his capture, and so we have a reward for his capture, but we're not going to enforce it?" Rubio told Sunday's NBC "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker.
"That's the difference between President Trump and everybody else," Rubio said. '"It's easy to make a wanted poster and say, '$50 million for the capture of Maduro.'
"But no one takes that seriously because you're not going to do anything about it. President Trump did something about it."
Rubio said that the no-fatality Delta Force operation that captured Maduro from his military compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas was flawless.
"We went in. We grabbed him. He was arrested. And he's now in New York," Rubio said. "No Americans were killed. No equipment was lost."
Harris argued Saturday night ahead of Rubio's NBC appearance, that the capture of Maduro was illegal.
"Donald Trump's actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable," Harris wrote in a lengthy X post, denouncing the operation.
"That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise.
"We've seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price.
"The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to.
"This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump's desire to play the regional strongman.
"If he cared about either, he wouldn't pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro's cronies.
"The president is putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilizing a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home.
"America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first."
Rubio rejected Harris' statements Sunday, without mentioning her by name, but referring generally to Trump's critics, including Biden administration officials.
"It had to be done, and it's been done," Rubio added to Welker. "And I assure you the people left behind in Venezuela now that are in charge of the police and everything else, I assure you they're going to probably be a lot more compliant than Maduro was as a result of this."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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