Congressman Pat Harrigan commented on recent U.S. military actions against Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in a series of posts on January 3, 2026.
In his first post, Harrigan addressed criticism from Democratic colleagues and the media regarding the authorities used to strike Venezuela and apprehend Maduro. He wrote, “For all my Democratic colleagues losing their minds with the main stream media about authorities to strike Venezuela and CAPTURE drug-trafficking Maduro: A corollary to Arleigh Burke’s famous critique of leadership is: A commander who fails to exceed his authority is not of much” (January 3, 2026).
In a subsequent message, Harrigan praised the Trump administration’s handling of the operation. He stated, “The Trump administration made a hard call, executed it cleanly, and brought it to a close with ZERO American casualties. For years, Americans have lived with the fallout of chaos spilling across borders while criminals assumed nothing would ever happen to them. Today proves that” (January 3, 2026).
Later that day, Harrigan emphasized what he described as the effectiveness and restraint shown during the mission: “President Trump just dismantled one of the world’s most dangerous narco-terrorists without a single American casualty. No endless war. Without sending in thousands of American troops. No American casualties. Just a decisive, surgical strike that sent a message to the world: if” (January 3, 2026).
Pat Harrigan was elected to Congress in 2024 after defeating Ralph R. Scott, Jr., securing approximately 57.5% of the vote in that year’s general election.
