Cotton Praises Trump’s Venezuela Operation as “Major Success” in Capturing Maduro

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton on Sunday praised President Donald Trump’s military operation in Venezuela to capture Nicolas Maduro, calling it a major success for U.S. forces and the intelligence community.

The Arkansas Republican, in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” also warned other Venezuelan leaders could face similar action if the country’s new leadership does not break with Maduro’s policies.

Venezuelan officials still running the government apparatus include sanctioned and indicted figures who had been aligned with Maduro “until just yesterday,” but Cotton said Trump wants to give them a chance to change course.

“We’ve got to make sure that the people who are now in charge of the apparatus of the Venezuelan government are not going to continue Nicolas Maduro’s ways,” Cotton said.

Cotton stated Trump is willing to allow an opening for Venezuela’s new leaders to sever ties with criminal networks, but he signaled that window should be short. He outlined U.S. goals as halting drug and weapons trafficking, accepting the return of refugees, and expelling Iranian and Cuban influence, as well as “Islamic radicals” such as Hezbollah.

Cotton described a free and democratic Venezuela as a key U.S. objective, citing opposition figures Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez. He said new, “free and fair” elections could be possible within months, though not “days or weeks.”

Venezuelans had shown they did not want continued rule by a Chavista movement, and Cotton added the country could return to being a stable partner of the United States, including as a major oil supplier.

When asked about reports that a CIA source inside the Venezuelan government helped track Maduro’s location and whether that source would receive a $50 million reward, Cotton declined to discuss intelligence sources or methods. He said the episode should serve as a warning to other adversaries that the United States has deep insight into hostile actors.

Cotton dismissed suggestions of any U.S. understanding with Russia involving Venezuela and Ukraine. He characterized the raid as a unilateral U.S. operation aimed at removing an “indicted drug trafficker” and stopping Venezuela from working with adversaries such as Russia, China, Cuba, and Iran.

The senator emphasized he does not believe Trump plans to deploy combat or stabilization forces. Cotton described the president’s approach as taking “bold, audacious direct action,” completing a limited mission, and ending it. He noted the Maduro operation was particularly difficult because it involved capturing a target while leaving without U.S. casualties.

When questioned by moderator Margaret Brennan whether the military deployment around South America required additional congressional consultation under the War Powers Act, Cotton stated Delta Force operators were on the ground only briefly. He strongly supported the broader buildup, describing it as tied to intelligence collection and efforts to restrict Venezuela’s oil trade with U.S. adversaries.

Cotton added he had spoken within the last 24 hours with Trump and senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, confirming Congress has provided the resources and authority needed to protect U.S. interests.