General Discussion

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the U.S. military activity in Venezuela this weekend did not require congressional approval because it was a law enforcement operation, not a prolonged invasion of a foreign country.

In an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” Rubio defended the operation against claims that it was illegal.

“It wasn’t necessary because this is not an invasion. We didn’t occupy a country,” Rubio told George Stephanopoulos, when asked why congressional authorization wasn’t necessary.

“This was an arrest operation. This was a law enforcement operation. He was arrested on the ground in Venezuela by FBI agents, read his rights and removed from the country,” Rubio continued.

U.S. forces carried out a stunning operation overnight into Saturday morning to capture and arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bring them back to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking, terrorism and firearms. Maduro is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.