Traditional media outlets have expressed intense disapproval of President Trump’s administration following the successful apprehension of socialist leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a law enforcement operation.
Margaret Brennan from CBS’s “Face the Nation” questioned why the operation didn’t result in even more arrests. It seems there’s no satisfying the critics.
During a Sunday appearance with Brennan, Secretary of State Marco Rubio nearly chuckled at the suggestion, remarking on the “absurdity” of such expectations.
Brennan pressed further, asking why figures like Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez hadn’t been detained in what was otherwise a near-perfect operation.
“I’m puzzled. Are they still targets for the U.S.? Why weren’t they apprehended if you aim to dismantle the narcoterrorist regime?” she inquired.
It’s akin to capturing Al Capone while some complain about not rounding up minor figures like Johnny “Three Thumbs” and Sal “Pasta la Vista” at the same time.
Brennan genuinely believed she had a gotcha moment here. But Rubio politely pointed out why the question was ridiculous while seemingly amused that she was “confused” over the matter.
“You’re confused?” he shot back. “I don’t know why that’s confusing to you.”
The Secretary of State then went on to point out the complexity of the operation and criticized Brennan for simply assuming they could do it a few more times without any hassle.
.@SecRubio: “It is not easy to land a helicopter in the middle of the largest military base… kick down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, put him in a helicopter… and you’re asking me why we didn’t do that in five other places at the same time!?” pic.twitter.com/Pm9Jy1AKp3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026
READ MORE: Watch As SecState Marco Rubio Lays It Out Regarding Venezuela
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“You’re going to go in and suck up five people? Okay,” a clearly irked Rubio countered. “They’re already complaining about this one operation. Imagine the howls we would have from everybody else if we actually had to go and stay there four days to capture four other people.”
He noted that the U.S. “got the top priority” in a man who had illegitimately claimed to be the president of Venezuela.
“The number one person on the list was the guy who claimed to be the president of the country that he was not, and he was arrested along with his wife, who was also indicted,” he continued. “And that was a pretty sophisticated and, frankly, complicated operation.”
Margaret Brennan may not be the most biased Sunday morning host (that’s obviously George), but she has a hard perennial lock on dumbest. Rubio has to hold back laughter. https://t.co/m05VIvea08
— Benjamin Domenech (@bdomenech) January 4, 2026
“It is not easy to land helicopters in the middle of the largest military base in the country. The guy lived on a military base,” Rubio said, describing the intricacies of the mission. “Land within three minutes, kick down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, put him in a helicopter, and leave the country without losing any American or any American assets – that’s not an easy mission.”
“And you’re asking me why didn’t we do that in five other places at the same time? I mean, that’s absurd.”
Let me boil down what Brennan is saying here—The capture of Maduro is terrible and illegal blah, blah, blah … why didn’t you do it several more times?
Just confoundingly idiotic. Rubio, to his credit, handled it like a champ.
As for Brennan, this is the same woman who tried to tell Rubio in a previous interview that Hitler rose to power when he “weaponized free speech.”
Maduro and his wife were indicted on a range of charges in the Southern District of New York, and may make an initial court appearance as early as Monday.
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