Kathy Hochul says she told Trump he 'got to go to Congress to get authority' after Maduro's capture

Kathy Hochul's stance reflects growing Democratic concern over the legality of the Venezuelan operation
PUBLISHED JAN 6, 2026
Kathy Hochul says she scolded Donald Trump for not seeking congressional approval when he called her after Nicolas Maduro’s capture (Getty Images)
Kathy Hochul says she scolded Donald Trump for not seeking congressional approval when he called her after Nicolas Maduro’s capture (Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York Governor Kathy Hochul slammed President Donald Trump for the US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Hochul claimed that she scolded Trump for acting without congressional approval, a stance that reflects growing Democratic concern over the legality of the raid.

Kathy Hochul told Trump she disagrees with him over Venezuelan raid

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (R) and former New York City Mayor Mik
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg talk to reporters after laying flowers at the south memorial pool to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attack at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 8, 2021, in New York City (Getty Images)

Hochul revealed that she slammed Trump for acting without Congressional approval in Venezuela after he called her on Monday, January 5.

When Trump brought up his raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of Maduro, Hochul said she told him, “I disagree.”

“You’ve got to go to Congress. You’ve got to get authority. It’s kind of important to do things like that,” Hochul said.

“He’s a bad guy, but you’ve got to get authority,” Hochul said she told Trump about Maduro. 

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 5: Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026, in New York City (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

Hochul rallied behind the Democrats, who are questioning the legality of the Venezuelan raid, with some even calling for Trump’s impeachment.

Progressive groups slam Trump's Venezuelan operation

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion with top business leaders in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on December 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the roundtable, Trump addressed questions on the Federal Reserve’s latest decision to cut interest rates and reports that the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, among other topics. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion with top business leaders in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on December 10, 2025, in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“This unconstitutional regime change war has one purpose: to steal Venezuela’s oil so Trump’s billionaire Big Oil buddies can cash in,” Justice Democrats, the campaign group that backs progressives like Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), wrote in a statement.

The Democratic Socialists of America shared a lengthy statement on social media condemning what it called Trump’s “illegal war” on Venezuela.

“We condemn Trump’s illegal war on Venezuela,” the organization wrote, linking to its full statement.

The group explicitly demanded “the return of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores to Venezuela.”

DSA International Committee calls Venezuelan operation an 'imperialist war'



Alongside the statement, the DSA promoted its “Hands Off Venezuela” campaign, urging the US to halt what it described as imperialist intervention in the oil-rich socialist nation.

“Solidarity with the people of Venezuela! Solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution!” a separate policy statement from the DSA International Committee declared.

According to the group, the Trump administration had launched an “illegal war” aimed at installing a US-backed government to control Venezuela’s oil resources and extend American dominance across Latin America.

“This is a nakedly imperialist war to install a US puppet government that will give Venezuela’s oil resources over to US corporations and enforce US hegemony over Latin America — the new ‘Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine,’” the statement said.

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