The next is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Jan. 4, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We flip now to Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes. He’s the highest Democrat on the Home Intelligence Committee, and he joins us this morning from Greenwich. Congressman Himes, you might be a part of that “Gang of Eight,” which signifies that details about these secret operations is statutorily meant to be shared with you as a part of this very small group, on condition that and what you need to know, are you able to clearly clarify what the US is doing?
REP. JIM HIMES: Yeah, by the best way, I used to be delighted to listen to that Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been in common contact with the administration. I’ve had zero outreach. And no Democrat that I am conscious of has had any outreach in any way. So apparently, we’re now in a world the place the authorized obligation to maintain the Congress knowledgeable solely applies to, to your social gathering, which is actually one thing. However yeah, no, look, I do know precisely the place we’re, Margaret. We’re within the euphoria interval of acknowledging throughout the board that Maduro was a nasty man and that our navy is totally unbelievable. That is precisely the euphoria we felt in 2002 when our navy took down the Taliban in Afghanistan. In 2003 when our navy took out Saddam Hussein, and in 2011 after we helped take away Muammar Gaddafi from energy in Libya. These had been very, very dangerous individuals, by the best way, a lot, a lot worse than Maduro in Venezuela, which was by no means a big nationwide safety risk to the US. However we’re in that euphoria part, and what we realized the day after the euphoria part is that it is an terrible lot simpler to interrupt a rustic than it’s to truly do what the president promised to do, which is to run it. And so once more, let’s, let- let’s let my Republican colleagues take pleasure in their day of euphoria, however they’ll get up tomorrow morning, realizing, oh my God, there is no such thing as a plan right here any greater than there was in Afghanistan, Iraq or in Libya.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly, you heard the secretary of state say, effectively, this isn’t the Center East. There are conflicting statements from cupboard members. Hegseth instructed CBS, you recognize, the president of the US will completely be in cost right here, and leaned into the thought of navy choices. President Trump mentioned there can be an choice of shoes on the bottom. Secretary Rubio, although, actually simply leaned into an oil quarantine right here. What- what precisely is the purpose of leverage right here? When do you count on to get solutions? Do your Republican colleagues promise you that they’ll get a few of these solutions to the questions you’ve?
REP. HIMES: After all, not Margaret. I imply, look, you are seeing it on tv at present, proper? Two thirds of my Republicans get up each single morning, and the one query they’ve is, what can I do to show my loyalty to the president at present? And we see this as a result of the president has fully shifted who he was. I imply, as I watched that information convention yesterday, I assumed, oh my god, that is Dick Cheney and the neocons. Not solely are they taking out a- they’re doing a regime change in a rustic, by the best way, not a Tier 1 risk to the US, however that they only do not like. They’re warning the opposite dictators. That is Dick Cheney in 2002 saying we’re taking down Saddam Hussein and, by the best way, Syria and Iran higher be careful. And the fascinating factor about that, and why it is actually laborious to reply the query of the place the hell they’ll go from right here, is that the president received by promising MAGA and his personal those that this sort of stuff was executed, that the neocons had been over, and right here we’re. That was Dick Cheney within the convention yesterday, you recognize, deciding that the US was going to, you recognize, militarily change regimes and threaten different ones, simply because we do not like them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly, however then the secretary of state was speaking about working with the regime and dealing with Maduro’s quantity two, who’s now operating the place, and different indicted criminals, in line with the Southern District of New York who’re persevering with to run Venezuela. So can you actually say that is regime change in the event that they’re working with the regime?
REP. HIMES: As you identified, it is proper and a loss to elucidate any consistency right here. I imply, as you identified Maduro was a really dangerous man and indicted Trump. Weeks in the past, the pardoned dangerous and indicted . Weeks in the past pardoned indicted drug- . These guys get a pardon full them New York. I that. There isn’t a legislation possibly, possibly believes that work with the however, I imply, look once more, return
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Himes, I am sorry to chop you off right here. I am having a horrible time, audio-wise. I’ll take a break as a result of hopefully our technicians can repair it in these two minutes. So please stick with us. We’ll be proper again.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
MARGARET BRENNAN: Again to our dialog with Connecticut Democratic Congressman Jim Himes, who I believe may be heard now. Congressman, I am glad we acquired the hyperlink again up. For these viewers who misplaced you there, are you able to clarify to us? The administration is arguing that what they did is authorized, and that the snatch and seize operation of taking an indicted felony, Nicolas Maduro, to the US by navy power has precedent, and so they level again to what occurred within the late 80s with Noriega in Panama. What’s your problem to that?
REP. HIMES: Yeah, effectively, first, it is clearly unlawful underneath worldwide legislation, proper? No full cease, UN Constitution. No query there. Now it’s possible you’ll not care about worldwide legislation, however when you do not care about worldwide legislation, bear in mind, you are going to be making an enchantment to worldwide legislation to attempt to get restitution for the seizure of Chevron’s oil stuff. So possibly you need to rethink how a lot disdain you present for worldwide legislation. Clearly, not authorized underneath the Structure as a result of although Presidents of each events have argued in opposition to this, the Structure is actually fairly clear that the representatives of the individuals get to be consulted and in the end approve navy exercise. That has not occurred right here in any respect. And, so once more, there’s nothing authorized about this. And, extra to the purpose, once more, underneath the worldwide legislation level, consider what Russia and China simply realized. Russia and China simply realized that every one it’s essential to do if you wish to go into Estonia is to say that the chief of Estonia is a nasty individual. You do not even must make a very good case. Look, there isn’t any nationwide safety knowledgeable saying that Venezuela was a mortal risk to the US three weeks in the past. So what China and Russia simply realized is that the beacon of liberty and rule of legislation on this planet has now inexperienced lighted snatch and seize operations in Estonia, in Taiwan, wherever Xi and Putin determine they need to go subsequent.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So I take your level on the precedent there. Do you assume that China or Russia would have the power to hold out that form of lightning operation the US did?
REP. HIMES: Properly, no, however that does not imply, effectively, China, sure. China, sure. China, very quickly. And you recognize, their chief has mentioned, we’ll develop this functionality. We all know that their intent is to do exactly this in Taiwan. Russia is a extra sophisticated case. It is, you recognize, Russia loses 10,000 individuals to get in, you recognize, three acres of land in jap Ukraine. However that might not be true 5 years from now, and by the best way, again to the Noriega case. Since you do ask an excellent query there, Panama is a horrible precedent. Why do I say that? As a result of after we went into Panama, the Panamanian Congress had declared conflict on the US of America, proper? They’d killed a United States Marine and wounded two others, and the Congress had been advisor. The Congress within the Noriega mission had, had approved regime change. So it is a horrible precedent that the administration is utilizing to say that that is authorized.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, as we perceive it, as a result of we appeared this up, Noriega claimed head of state immunity, and the court docket mentioned that that immunity was meant to guard official state features and personal profiting off the drug commerce. Principally, the courts dominated on his actions as a frontrunner and never on the legality of the snatch-and-grab operation itself. So we will proceed to trace all of this. Thanks Congressman Himes, thanks Senator Van Hollen. We can be proper again.
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