The following is the transcript of the interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Jan. 4, 2026.

After a stunning raid by U.S forces in Venezuela that captured the country's president and his wife, President Trump declared the U.S. was in charge.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for “not being straight with the American people” about President Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The U.S. representative may have misremembered a 2017 Miami Herald report about a different Venezuelan politician's alleged kill order on Rubio.

Confusion continued Monday amid seemingly contradictory messages from President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about how the U.S. is dealing with Venezuela.

NBC’s Kristen Welker challenged Secretary of State Marco Rubio over President Donald Trump launching a strike against Venezuela and capturing its president Nicolás Maduro without the approval of congress. The move sparked backlash from Democratic lawmakers who argued the action was “illegal.”

Critics have faulted the White House for not informing Congress of the operation or seeking its consent before launching the attack

Marco Rubio sparred with ABC's "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos over U.S. authority to run Venezuela after extracting dictator Nicolás Maduro on Saturday.