Pelosi, Sanders, Harris slam Trump over Venezuela action, warn against unlawful military invasion 

Senior Democratic leaders in the United States have sharply criticised President Donald Trump over his actions in Venezuela, accusing him of acting without legal authority, risking regional instability, and neglecting urgent domestic challenges at home.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said while Venezuela is governed by what she described as an “illegitimate regime,” the Trump administration has failed to demonstrate that the country posed an immediate threat to U.S. national security that would justify the use of military force.

“President Trump has made no secret of his intentions to effectively abolish the Congress,” Pelosi said, accusing him of showing “flagrant disregard for the Article One war powers of Congress, which are essential to our constitutional system of checks and balances.”

Pelosi also questioned the administration’s justification for its actions, particularly claims that they are rooted in drug trafficking concerns. She described such arguments as hypocritical, citing Trump’s recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been convicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges.

“If the President grounds his actions on drug trafficking, that position collapses under the weight of his own actions,” Pelosi said. “Hernández was convicted by an American jury, yet Trump pardoned him.”

She further demanded that Congress be “fully and immediately briefed” on any strikes or regime change efforts in Venezuela, including the scope, objectives, and potential consequences of the operation.

Senator Bernie Sanders also condemned the move, saying it contradicts Trump’s long-promoted “America First” agenda.

“Trump campaigned on ‘America First,’ and now he wants to run Venezuela?” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, 60 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Health care is collapsing, and housing is unaffordable.”

Former Vice President, Kamala Harris echoed the criticism, arguing that Trump’s actions would not improve the safety or economic wellbeing of Americans.

“Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable,” Harris said. “That Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action is both unlawful and unwise.”

Harris warned that the United States was repeating past mistakes, describing the situation as reminiscent of previous regime-change wars that were “sold as strength but turned into chaos.”

“This is not about drugs or democracy,” she said. “It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman.”

She accused the President of endangering U.S. troops, spending billions of dollars, destabilising the region, and offering “no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home.”

The critics argued that Trump should instead focus on pressing domestic crises, including rising living costs, healthcare challenges, and housing shortages.

“America needs leadership that puts working families first, enforces the rule of law, and strengthens alliances,” Harris said.

Collectively, the Democratic leaders called on President Trump to address major issues at home and bring an end to what they described as illegal military adventurism abroad, warning that Americans are weary of foreign interventions that come at a high cost with little accountability.