Gov. Kathy Hochul said she ripped President Trump for acting without congressional approval in Venezuela after he called her on Monday.
The Democratic governor also bizarrely claimed credit for sparking the nationwide “No Kings” protest movement against the Trump administration, as she celebrated the first anniversary of congestion pricing.
Hochul was celebrating the anniversary of congestion pricing. James Messerschmidt
Maduro was captured by US forces early Saturday and flown to New York to face trial. via REUTERSStanding with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, MTA CEO Janno Lieber and transit activists, Hochul said she told Trump that the scheme to charge drivers in Lower Manhattan was working.
But when Trump brought up his raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro, Hochul said she told him, “I disagree.”
“You’ve got to go to Congress. You’ve got to get authority. It’s kind of important to do things like that,” Hochul said.
“He’s a bad guy, but you’ve got to get authority,” Hochul said she told Trump about Maduro.
Hochul — desperate to placate the left as she runs for re-election this year and faces a primary challenge from her estranged Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado — joined the growing chorus of Democrats crying foul over the Venezuela operation, with some even calling for Trump’s impeachment.
Trump watched the operation with senior administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Donald Trump/ Truth Social“This unconstitutional regime change war has one purpose: to steal Venezuela’s oil so Trump’s billionaire Big Oil buddies can cash in,” Justice Democrats, the progressive campaign group that backs lefty pols like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), wrote in a statement.
“He even admitted to tipping off Big Oil ahead of the strike, and claims the U.S. will work with oil companies to run the country,” the group said. “This is American imperialism in action.”
Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:
- http://Trump to meet Venezuelan opposition leader, would be 'great honor' to receive her Nobel Peace PrizeTrump to meet Venezuelan opposition leader, would be ‘great honor’ to receive her Nobel Peace Prize
- Trump ‘surprised’ Mamdani ‘hit me’ on Venezuela — but praises NYC mayor’s ‘great personality’
- US capture of Maduro could lead to rise in defense spending: analyst
- Interim Venezuelan president names Maduro’s torture czar as head of security
Hochul made the remarks flanked by lefty activists who pushed for the phased-in $15 congestion toll for motorists.
She even claimed that she had triggered the “No Kings” protests with a February 2024 pro-congestion pricing press conference in which she held up a fake Time magazine cover put out by the White House depicting Trump as a king and railed against his opposition to the tolling program.
“I was pissed. I said, as you heard. I’m still angry when I think about it,” Hochul said Monday. “We’re not laboring under a king but it was that image, that day that I believe triggered the ‘No Kings’ rallies all across America.”
The governor’s office claimed the toll is already a success one year in, touting numbers suggesting traffic entering Manhattan below 60th Street was down 11% and that pollution had dipped 20%.
