"They lied to our face' Democrats decry raid as 'illegal act of war'

Democratic party leaders responded with fury yesterday to Donald Trump's military intervention in Venezuela, branding it an illegal act carried out without the required congressional approval that would lead to disaster for the American people.

- Ed Pilkington

Top Democrats took to yesterday's TV political talk shows to express their dismay that lawmakers were not notified in advance of the raid.

They portrayed the action to unseat the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, as unlawful under the US constitution and ill-advised in terms of the US standing in the world, where numerous authorities, including the secretary general of the United Nations, have accused the US of breaching the UN's founding charter.

"They literally lied to our face," said Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut, referring to a briefing on Venezuela that the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, gave to the chamber last month. "The message they sent was that this wasn't about regime change... They said this is just a counter-narcotics operation."

In an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Murphy called the action "wildly illegal", adding: "There is no way to trust this administration."

Under the US constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires presidents to seek approval from Congress for military engagements.