New: Trump administration officials are internally pointing to a 1989 legal opinion and the subsequent US invasion of Panama as precedent to justify the operation that was carried out in Venezuela on Friday night without US congressional authorization, per 3 sources.

The 1989 legal opinion was authored by Bill Barr, who at the time was serving as the head of the Justice Department's powerful Office of Legal Counsel and later served as Attorney General in President Trump's first term.

The opinion concluded that the president has the inherent constitutional authority to deploy the FBI to investigate and arrest individuals for violating US law, "even if those actions contravene international law."

The FBI was on the ground with US Delta Force soldiers during Friday night's operation to arrest Maduro and his wife.

with @ZcohenCNN

@KatieBoLillis

11:36 AM · Jan 3, 2026

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https://x.com/NatashaBertrand/status/2007491281669288137

In 2024 Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro stole their election and citizens cried as it happened

This was Election Day in Venezuela. At 9am voters lined up and expected to be able to vote. The polling stations were locked behind gates and guarded with armed guards

Donald Trump just freed them from this election stealing Dictator

“What an injustice. It is at 9am and they do not want to let us enter to exercise our right to vote” (captioned)

9:21 AM · Jan 3, 2026

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205.6K

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https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/2007457211568554114