President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ohio’s two Republican senators supported the U.S. military action to arrest Venezuela’s president suspected of drug crimes.

Armed forces and commandos from the United States on Saturday took Nicolás Maduro and his wife into custody during a raid on the capital city of Caracas.

Maduro is an illegitimate dictator, Sen. Jon Husted said.

“He has been indicted on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and will face trial for these crimes in a U.S. court of law. Under Hugo Chávez, and now under Maduro, Venezuela has effectively become a criminal enterprise,” Husted said.

The United States had a choice between standing by or taking action to end it and, “give the Venezuelan people a genuine opportunity to choose new leadership and a new direction,” he said.

“All available information indicates this was a well-executed operation, thanks to the administration and our courageous U.S. military and law enforcement personnel,” Husted said on Saturday. “I will continue to monitor these actions in keeping with my congressional oversight responsibilities. I look forward to hearing more from President Trump.”

Trump and administration officials did not brief Congress prior to the attack. Later Saturday morning, the president said the United States will run Venezuela, including its oil production, until new leadership is determined.

“President Trump today changed the course of Latin America for a generation. By acting in America’s self-defense and self-interest to end the narco-terror organization run by Nicolas Maduro, he eliminated an obvious clear and present danger to our nation,” Sen. Bernie Moreno said.

Moreno said the Biden administration was “inept and incompetent” and should have acted when Maduro illegally retained power in 2023.

“President Trump has shown the world that he will defend and protect American lives,” Moreno said. “Maduro and his band of narco-terrorists were directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, threatened our national security, and unleashed an historic invasion of our country by criminals.”

Venezuela provided a corridor for transporting narcotics into the United States, according to Moreno.

“Maduro protected Colombia’s narco-terrorists. Let them, and anyone in this hemisphere, be on notice that they are next if they aim to harm our nation,’ Moreno said.

“To the great and now free people of Venezuela: President Trump seeks peace and America does not wish conflict or war with your nation,” he said. “It is up to you now to determine your own future and chart a path for prosperity that had seemed so elusive. America stands ready to be a partner and friend.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Rulli, R-Ohio, who represented the 6th Congressional District that includes Washington County, said in a social media post that, “we will not allow dictators who want to cozy up with China in our hemisphere. Thank you, President Trump.”

The post includes a photo of Maduro being led by two agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency.