Maduro Arrested-Why Trump Ordered this Historic Attack & the Detailed Legal Basis for his Authority to Do So

The Ben Ferguson Podcast

iHeartPodcasts

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.9 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Event Summary (WATCH: PRESIDENT TRUMP PRESS CON HERE)
- The U.S. military executed a highly complex and precise operation in Caracas, Venezuela, to apprehend Maduro.
- The mission involved over 150 aircraft, advanced coordination across multiple military branches, and cyber and space operations.
- The operation was completed without any American casualties, which is emphasized as a major success.
Geopolitical Context
- Venezuela’s significance stems from its vast oil reserves (largest in the world) and strategic location near the U.S.
- Maduro’s regime is portrayed as illegitimate, corrupt, and deeply involved in drug trafficking and alliances with U.S. adversaries (Russia, China, Iran, Hezbollah).
- The discussion highlights Venezuela’s decline from being one of the wealthiest nations in the 1950s to a failed state under socialist rule.
Legal Justifications
- President Trump acted within his constitutional authority under Article II as Commander-in-Chief.
- References are made to historical precedents, notably the 1990 capture of Manuel Noriega in Panama.
- The legal basis includes:
  - FBI’s extraterritorial arrest authority.
  - Precedents like the Ker-Frisbie doctrine and United States v. Alvarez-Machain.
  - DOJ opinions (including one by Bill Barr) affirming presidential power to authorize such actions.
- Anticipated legal challenges include head-of-state immunity and UN Charter arguments.
Future Implications (WATCH HERE: Is Cuba Ready to Fall?)
- There will be geopolitical ripple effects in Latin America, especially Cuba and Colombia.
- Avoiding prolonged U.S. military occupation in Venezuela is key
- Discussion of possible democratic elections and leadership changes in Venezuela.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.6	Guaranteed Human.
0:05.4	Welcome, it is Verdiq with Senator Ted Cruz.
0:07.8	Ben Ferguson with you.
0:08.9	And Senator, this is a show we get to start that was something that we thought could happen,
0:13.4	but the way it happened was truly incredible.
0:16.2	Maduro is now in New York City, not far from where you are in Washington, D.C. right now.
0:20.7	I promise you,
0:21.8	he didn't think that was going to happen. And no loss of American life in going in and getting him.
0:27.8	God bless our men and women in uniform. They are just incredible heroes right now.
0:32.8	Well, listen, we are living in extraordinary times. And what transpired this weekend was extraordinary. It was an
0:39.4	incredible act of military might, of military precision. It was an incredible intelligence victory.
0:46.2	The U.S. military went in on Saturday into Venezuela, captured Nicholas Maduro, captured his wife,
0:53.7	removed them from Venezuela, brought them to New York for criminal prosecution, as you noted without the loss of even a single American life.
1:02.8	That is a big, big deal. It is incredibly complicated to go into a Venezuelan military base.
1:10.3	You know, there had been a lot of talk about all of the anti-aircraft, air defenses that Venezuela
1:16.2	had, many of them from Russia.
1:19.1	At the end of the day, the operation was flawless.
1:21.6	And I will give an enormous amount of credit to President Trump.
1:24.9	President Trump acted decisively in ordering this attack. There was
1:30.1	real risk. It could have gone badly. And if it had gone badly, that that would not have, obviously,
1:34.3	would not have been good. There could have been real loss of life. That didn't happen. There
	...

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