What do the four elected leaders who represent Boston’s neighborhoods in Washington have to say about what went down in Venezuela — and in New York City— over the last several days?
Sen. Ed Markey has been the most vocal and aggressive of the delegation, referring to the Delta Force arrest and transfer of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores as “kidnappings.” He sent a letter to the White House on Monday “demanding a cessation of hostilities against Venezuela and answers on the Trump administration’s objectives, legal rationale, and plans for Venezuela’s future.”
He added: “It is particularly alarming that your Administration’s desire for Venezuelan oil is the driving factor behind this military action…The United States cannot claim to act in the defense of democracy while facilitating the replacement of one authoritarian regime with another.”
On Wednesday (Jan. 7), The Reporter spoke with Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) about his latest take on the situation.
Lynch said he was part of a classified briefing to Congress about the action earlier that day that included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
‘We were reassured in a briefing prior to the Christmas break and because of reports we were getting back from committee with the build-up, we were concerned that there might be military action. And they said, ‘No, we would come back and consult with Congress.’”
“Needless to say we were surprised,” Lynch said, when he and other colleagues learned of the large-scale Jan. 2-3 raid via the media.
“This was not a small operation,” said Lynch, noting the number of personnel, air assets and naval ships engaged. “It also involved a half-dozen military bases to coordinate it. They had plenty of time to let us know. And for them to call this a trigger operation because of the weather, it’s baloney.”
Only a small contingent of US troops remain “on the ground” in Venezuela, Lynch says, based on his briefing from Trump officials. But they were a “pre-existing” force there to protect diplomats.”
Lynch says he thinks there’s an opportunity to get a resolution through the Congress that would require a “firmer authorization for use of military force” in Venezuela should the Trump administration mount a fresh round of attacks, as threatened.
“We may not have the votes we need today, but it’s really close and we have have some Republicans willing to support that.”
For the record, Lynch, who represents the 8th District that includes parts of Dorchester, issued a brief statement on Bluesky Social on Jan. 6 that said: “I strongly condemn President Trump’s recent actions in Venezuela and am fighting to hold the Administration accountable.”
On Jan. 3 Lynch told Boston 25 News that it was “a terrible decision to proceed without coordinating with the United States Congress because this is a military action.” In another interview, he said: “He’s not going to run Venezuela. He’s having a hard time running this country, never mind going down and trying to figure that all out… I think the Venezuelans get a vote in this. We’ve seen from past experience that you cannot export democracy.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, issued a statement on the day of the US attack, which killed a reported 60-plus security personnel and civilians on the ground in Caracas.
“President Trump’s unilateral military action to attack another country and seize Maduro — no matter how terrible a dictator he is — is unconstitutional and threatens to drag the US into further conflicts in the region. What does it mean that the US will ‘run’ Venezuela, and what will Trump do next around the world? The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump’s dangerous military adventurism overseas that won’t make the American people safer.”
Warren later told a reporter: “What he’s trying to do in V is just plain wrong. You tell me how any American family is going to be helped by Donald Trump handing V over to the oil companies…It sounds like one more version of the Republicans pulling Americans into endless wars.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who represents half of Boston, including parts of Dorchester, posted on Jan. 3 that “Trump’s bombing of Venezuela, kidnapping of Maduro & attempt to run the country are brazen violations of our Constitution & [international] law. It will endanger US lives, destabilize the region, [and] cost us billions of dollars. Congress must stop this endless war and hold Trump accountable.”
On Jan. 6, in a statement marking the anniversary of the Trump-incited mob assault on the US Capitol and the chaotictransfer of power in 2021, Pressley also noted: “And it is no coincidence that on the eve of the anniversary of Trump’s attempt to overthrow American democracy, he is attempting to overthrow a foreign government in Venezuela in a brazen violation of our Constitution and international law. Trump disregarded Congress as a co-equal branch of government five years ago, and he is defying Congress and violating his oath of office again today.”
