Mark Gordon Shares Hopes For Venezuela’s Future After Strikes

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon made a statement on social media after the US struck Venezuela and captured President Maduro.

"Today we are watching a very serious and rapidly unfolding situation in Venezuela where American forces have carried out military strikes. The President has reported that Maduro has been captured and removed from power.
Maduro was a corrupt and undemocratic leader and his regime was not a product of free and fair elections recognized by democratic standards. The Venezuelan people have suffered under his repression and corruption for years. They now have a chance to be free.

We are all praying for our troops, for their protection and safe return. And for all Americans still in Venezuela right now including diplomatic staff and those working for private industry. I pray they remain safe and can return home soon."

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife during the operation and flew them out of the country. Trump later told Fox News that Maduro was detained by U.S. special operations forces and transported by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship in the Caribbean, before being transferred to New York.

U.S. officials said the strikes followed accusations that Maduro was running a “narco-state” and had rigged Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election. Maduro, 63, a former bus driver who succeeded Hugo Chávez in 2013, has long denied those allegations, claiming the United States was seeking control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

Details of the overnight operation have not been fully released. Trump said the raid had been planned for several days but was delayed multiple times due to weather conditions.

The future of Venezuela’s government remains unclear. Reports that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was in Russia added to the uncertainty, though Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed those claims as false. Rodríguez later said she did not know Maduro’s whereabouts and demanded proof of life.

Venezuela’s ruling Chavismo movement said civilians and members of the military were killed in the strikes but did not provide casualty figures. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the U.S. action and called on Venezuelans to resist what he described as foreign aggression. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged citizens not to cooperate with U.S. forces.

Trump said the operation was conducted “in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement” and announced a news conference later Saturday in Florida. A U.S. official told Reuters that elite special forces, including Army Delta Force personnel, were involved.

Maduro was indicted in U.S. federal court in 2020 on charges including narco-terrorism, accused of coordinating cocaine shipments to the United States through the so-called “Cartel de los Soles.” He has consistently denied the charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife would face trial in the United States.

The U.S. last carried out a comparable intervention in the region in 1989, when it invaded Panama and removed military ruler Manuel Noriega, who later served a lengthy prison sentence in the United States.