US Mainstream Media Had Prior Knowledge Of Trump's Venezuela Assault But Withheld Coverage
The two largest US newspapers learned in advance of the secret US raid to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but chose not to publish what they knew to avoid endangering US troops, Semafor reported on 4 January, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Despite their hostility toward US President Donald Trump regarding domestic issues, the New York Times (NYT) and Washington Post cooperated with his administration ahead of the operation to attack Venezuela.
US forces deployed more than 150 aircraft to eliminate air defenses, clearing the way for helicopters to insert troops who then moved on to President Maduro’s location.
After Maduro and his wife were abducted, President Trump and top administration officials praised the operation, citing both the lack of US casualties and the total secrecy surrounding it, including from the media.
"The coordination, the stealth, the precision, the very long arm of American justice - all on display in the middle of the night," Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
Trump approved the assault at 10:46 pm Friday. Though aware of the decision, the NYT and Washington Post waited several hours before reporting it because the White House had warned that doing so would expose US troops performing the operation to danger.
However, the decision also showed disregard for the lives of Venezuelans.
US airstrikes accompanying the commando operation killed 40 people, including civilians and military personnel, a senior Venezuelan official told the NYT on Saturday.
One strike targeted a three-story civilian apartment complex in Catia La Mar, a poor coastal area just west of the Caracas airport, killing an 80-year-old woman, Rosa González, and seriously wounding a second person.
The leaks to the Press regarding the Venezula mission is dangerous. Anyone who saw those plans needs to be polygraphed.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) January 5, 2026
Following the airstrikes, US President Donald Trump announced that US forces had "captured" Maduro and his wife, also telling reporters that Maduro had “offered everything” to the US, from Venezuelan oil and natural resources to mediation, according to reporters.
Spokespersons for the White House, the Pentagon, and the Washington Post declined to comment on the conversations between journalists and officials Friday night. A NYT spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry.