Sen. Mike Lee, longtime guardian of Congress' war powers, supports Trump's Venezuela action
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Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) embraced President Trump's operation in Venezuela this weekend.
Why it matters: For years, Lee was a wary guardian of Congress' war powers and sought to rein in the president's authority over foreign policy and military action.
Driving the news: After initially questioning the constitutionality of the action, Lee this weekend posted on X the action "likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack."
- Lee noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him the U.S. military was deployed to protect U.S. personnel who were arresting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and "anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."
The intrigue: A few hours later on Saturday, Trump announced the U.S. would "run" Venezuela, contradicting Rubio's assurance.
Lee's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Monday.
Between the lines: Soon after Trump's promise to "run" Venezuela, Lee began to post parody photos, one in which Rubio was adorned in Maduro's presidential regalia and another of Rubio canonized as "San Marco de la Liberación."
- Calling Rubio a "man of many hats," Lee shared or endorsed others' posts proposing titles like "viceroy" and "El Gran Libertador."
Yes, but: It's unclear whether Lee was mocking Rubio; he also posted praise of the secretary of state's refusal to fund NGOs and echoed Rubio's rejection of the United Nations' authority.
Catch up quick: Lee previously critiqued former President Biden's airstrikes on Yemen in 2024 and Syria in 2021, launched without congressional approval.
- Before that, Lee supported limits on Trump's war powers against Iran in 2020 and U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen in 2019.
- In 2017, he sought to sunset Congress' authorizations for military action against the architects of 9-11 in 2001 and in Iraq in 2002, saying they were "being contorted to justify wars with an ever-growing list of adversaries — without any input from Congress or the American people."
The other side: Lee has increased his support for presidential war powers during Trump's second term, voting against proposed limits on Trump's war powers in Iran and Venezuela.