U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has strongly criticised President Donald Trump’s military action in Venezuela, accusing him of violating the U.S. Constitution, international law and overstepping his authority as commander-in-chief.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Sanders said Trump had “once again, shown his contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law,” stressing that the president “does NOT have the right to unilaterally take this country to war, even against a corrupt and brutal dictator like Maduro.”
Sanders also rejected Trump’s claim that the United States has the right to “run” Venezuela, saying, “The United States does NOT have the right, as Trump stated this morning, to ‘run’ Venezuela.”
He urged Congress to act swiftly, calling on lawmakers to “immediately pass a War Powers Resolution to end this illegal military operation and reassert its constitutional responsibilities.”
The Vermont senator warned that the U.S. attack would have far-reaching global consequences, arguing that it would make “the United States and the world less safe.”
According to Sanders, the action represents a “brazen violation of international law” and sets a dangerous precedent.
“This is the horrific logic of force that Putin used to justify his brutal attack on Ukraine,” he said.
Sanders further accused the Trump administration of pursuing imperial ambitions in Latin America, citing repeated references to reviving the Monroe Doctrine.
He said administration officials have “spoken openly about controlling Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world,” describing the approach as “rank imperialism.”
“This recalls the darkest chapters of U.S. interventions in Latin America, which have left a terrible legacy,” Sanders added, saying the action “will and should be condemned by the democratic world.”
Turning to domestic issues, Sanders criticised Trump for focusing on foreign military operations while problems at home persist.
He noted that Trump campaigned on an “America First” platform and presented himself as the “peace candidate,” but argued that his actions contradict those claims.
“At a time when 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, when our healthcare system is collapsing, when people cannot afford housing, and when AI threatens millions of jobs, it is time for the president to focus on the crises facing this country and end this military adventurism abroad,” Sanders said.
Sanders said that Trump was failing in his domestic responsibilities, adding, “Trump is failing in his job to ‘run’ the United States. He should not be trying to ‘run’ Venezuela.”
Credit: Al-Jazeera
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