"I'm still not clear on what the legal authority is for the United States to run the country of Venezuela, but several members of Congress and other legal experts have said this operation to take Maduro was illegal because you didn't seek congressional authorization, said Stephanopoulos. Why wasn't congressional authorization necessary? It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country."
"[T]he number one reason is operational security, said Rubio. It would have put the people who carried this on in very in harm's way. And frankly, a number of media outlets had gotten leaks that this was coming and held it for that very reason, and we thank them for doing that or lives could have been lost. American lives."
"Later, Rubio claimed that another reason the administration hadn't sought congressional approval was due to the possibility of leaks which would have been dangerous for American forces conducting the operation. The New York Times and the Washington Post learned of the Trump administration's plans for Venezuela shortly before they were carried out on Friday, according to a report from Semafor."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended news publications for withholding publication of information about a U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro until American troops were out of harm's way. He said the operation was a law enforcement arrest rather than an invasion or occupation, and that Maduro was arrested on the ground in Venezuela by FBI agents, read his rights, and removed from the country. Rubio said congressional authorization was unnecessary and that operational security and the risk of leaks justified not notifying Congress. The New York Times and Washington Post reportedly withheld publication to avoid endangering U.S. troops.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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