DNC launches fundraiser targeting Trump over Maduro arrest, calls it an 'unconstitutional war'

WASHINGTON, DC: The Democratic National Committee has launched a fundraising campaign in response to recent actions by the Trump administration involving the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

In its appeal, the DNC argues that the US government has overstepped constitutional authority and warns of prolonged American involvement in South America. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces during an operation carried out in Venezuela on Saturday, January 3.

DNC criticizes Trump, announces fundraiser

The campaign, sent via email to supporters, said "Another day, another unconstitutional war from Trump, who thinks the Constitution is a suggestion," according to Townhall.

According to the DNC’s email, the committee claims Trump’s decision to authorize the arrest sidestepped Congress’s war powers framing the incident as an “unauthorized attack against Venezuela.”

The email characterized the arrest as an overreach of congressional authority and called on donors to back Democratic candidates as a means of checking the administration’s actions.

“The most important thing we can do is elect more Democrats who will check this administration’s power,” the message said.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin separately issued a statement criticizing the administration’s actions, accusing the president of disregarding constitutional boundaries. "Trump promised peace, but has delivered war," Martin said.

He further said, "For months, the Trump administration has escalated conflict in Venezuela with unconstitutional and illegal strikes, and lied to the American people."

Nicolas Maduro’s arrest and trial

Ken Martin also said the arrest pulls the United States into a long-term role in Venezuela and shifts the stated reason away from counter-narcotics enforcement. “Today, Trump finally said the quiet part out loud,” Martin said.

He further criticized the administration for pursuing the arrest without a clear endpoint or congressional authorization, calling it “the worst kind of betrayal from Trump” that commits the United States to an indefinite role in South America.

The Trump administration, on the other hand, has defended the arrest as part of a longstanding law enforcement case targeting Maduro for serious criminal charges, including n*rco-t*rrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons-related offenses. 

US authorities had also offered up to a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction. Federal prosecutors allege Maduro played a central role in the Cartel of the Suns, a transnational d*ug trafficking organization accused of moving large quantities of c*caine into the US over several years.

In court on Maduro and his wife made brief appearances and pleaded not guilty, marking the beginning of what is expected to be a protracted legal fight over whether he can be tried in US courts. The next court hearing in the case has been scheduled for 17 March.