Trump Administration Officials Brief Key Lawmakers On Venezuela Strike

Anderson Cooper 360

CNN

News

3.7 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2026

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Trump administration officials briefed a select group of bipartisan lawmakers on Venezuela in a classified setting this evening. One person who was in the briefing, Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, joins Anderson to discuss what was learned. And former CIA Director and head of U.S. Central Command, retired General David Petraeus, gives his perspective on the historic U.S. military operation leading to Maduro’s arrest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:30.3	Tonight on 360, all the breaking news on Venezuela.
0:34.7	President Trump's latest statements about the operation and what happens now. He says the U.S. is running Venezuela and the top person in charge of the country
0:43.2	is him. Also, Maduro appears in court, his wife as well as the legal battle begins. We'll take
0:48.2	you inside today's arraignment. And who is Celia Flores? Maduro's wife and co-defendant.
0:52.8	He doesn't call herself the first lady. She says she's the first combatant. Good evening. We begin tonight with the breaking news on the U.S. capture incarceration illegal proceedings against Nicholas Maduro, the now ousted president of Venezuela. On Capitol Hill, a briefing of select lawmakers by Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
1:10.9	General Dan Cain, the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, the CIA Director John Ratcliffe,
1:15.3	and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has just wrapped up. I'll speak to one Democratic
1:19.2	lawmaker who attended in just a few minutes. No doubt President Trump's justification for
1:23.8	Maduro's capture and very basic questions, including who is running Venezuela right now?
1:28.3	What happens next will be top of mind.
1:30.3	Late tonight, President Trump, in an interview with NBC,
	...

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