ASHEVILLE – Expressing a range of support and skepticism, North Carolina lawmakers are reacting to react to the United States bombing of Venezuelan military sites and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 2.

The morning of Jan. 3, President Donald Trump announced that the United States had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bombed military sites in the country’s capital, Caracas. During a press conference in the early afternoon, Trump said the United States would “run” the country until a new leader could be appointed. Congress had not been told about the operation due to concerns lawmakers would “leak” information, Trump said.

According to USA TODAY, citing CNN reporting, a plane carrying Maduro and Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York the afternoon of Jan. 3.

Republican Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina expressed support for the president’s actions in a statement on social media, calling Maduro “an illegitimate dictator who has long been wanted in the U.S. on charges of narco-terrorism, corruption, & drug trafficking.”

“These actions are within the President’s Article II authority & send a clear message to America’s enemies our nation will not allow threats to our safety & security to continue unchecked,” Budd, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote on X Jan. 3.

As of 5 p.m. on Jan 3., Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents much of Western North Carolina, had not yet released a statement on the events in Venezuela. On Jan. 1, Edwards published an op-ed in the Washington Times in support of Trump’s directive to strike boats off the coast of the Latin American country. The president has said the boats facilitated “narcoterrorism.”

The Citizen Times has reached out to Edwards’ office and the office of Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has also not yet issued a statement on the president’s actions. Tillis is not seeking re-election.

Adam Smith, a former Green Beret running against Edwards in the Republican primary for North’s Carolina 11th Congressional District, said Maduro’s arrest “represents a decisive and long-overdue action in defense of the Western Hemisphere and the security interests of the United States and its allies.”

Democrats skeptical of legality

In a statement on X, North Carolina Rep. Deborah Ross for the Second Congressional District, said that Trump, while acting “without regard for the constitution and without considering the long-term consequences for our security or our democracy” sought to capture a “despot who stole elections, imprisoned his political opponents, and trampled on the rights and dignity of his people.”

“Using military force to remove a foreign head of state unquestionably requires congressional authorization. Trump ignored that requirement, once again thumbing his nose at our constitution and Congress. At a minimum, Congress must be fully and transparently briefed and then take appropriate action,” Ross wrote in her statement.

Though former governor and North Carolina Democratic Senate Candidate Roy Cooper has not released a statement on Maduro’s capture, Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley said he supported Trump’s decision in a post on X.

“He has taken decisive and aggressive action to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for addiction, violence, and death no matter where they operate or how powerful they claim to be,” Whatley said. “I am proud to support a President who will stop at nothing to protect our people and hold those who traffic death into our country fully responsible.”

As protests were expected across the country the afternoon of Jan. 3, around 75 protestors gathered in Pack Square Plaza in Asheville around 2:30 p.m. holding signs that said “no blood for oil” and “stop bombing Venezuela.”

Protestor Jeffrey DeCristofaro said he had been planning to rest on Jan. 3 but came to the protest after he felt Trump’s actions were “more than just illegal, but dangerous.” Given the lack of details on the future of the conflict, the strikes have made him feel uneasy.

“I didn’t know what to make of it,” DeCristofaro said of Trump stating the United States would “run” Venezuela. “I’m kind of walking a tightrope between passionate anger and cynical exhaustion.”

Holding a sign stating “money for people’s needs, not the war machine,” Anne Turnbow-Raustol said she attended the protest amid what she felt was “hypocrisy” by the Trump administration, comparing Trump’s decision to capture Maduro as similar to how the Venezuelan president operates.

“I don’t think any of it is legal,” Turnbow-Raustol said.

More: Venezuela attack updates: US to ‘run’ country after Maduro capture, Trump says

This story will be updated.

Reporting contributed by Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Davis Winkie, Francesca Chambers, Bart Jansen, Hannah Phillips, Jeanine Santucci, Eduardo Cuevas, Mike Snider of USA TODAY

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal.