Letter to Senator Langford

 January 3, 2026

The Honorable James Lankford
United States Senator
Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Lankford,

I am writing as a concerned constituent from Enid, Oklahoma, to express my deep alarm over the reported U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture and removal of President Nicolás Maduro from his country on January 3, 2026. While I recognize that Maduro’s regime has been widely condemned for authoritarianism and human rights abuses, the manner in which he was taken — by armed force and without any multilateral legal process — strikes me as a direct assault on the rules‑based international order that the United States has long championed since World War II.

Kidnapping a sitting head of state by military force, even one widely regarded as illegitimate, sets a dangerous precedent. It undermines the principle that disputes between nations must be resolved through law, diplomacy, and collective institutions, not unilateral acts of armed abduction. Such actions erode the very norms that protect smaller and weaker states from arbitrary intervention and that constrain the use of force by powerful nations, including our own.

As a member of the United States Senate, you have a solemn duty under the Constitution to provide advice and consent on matters of war and peace, and to ensure that the executive branch acts within the bounds of both domestic law and international commitments. I urge you to call on the Senate and the House of Representatives to:

● Immediately convene hearings on the Venezuela operation, including testimony from the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence.

● Demand a full, unclassified account of the legal basis for the operation, including whether it was authorized by Congress or conducted under existing authorizations for the use of military force.

● Reaffirm Congress’s constitutional responsibility to oversee and, if necessary, restrain executive actions that involve the use of military force abroad.

● Insist that any future actions involving regime change or the removal of foreign leaders must be grounded in clear statutory authority, international law, and a coherent strategy for stability and human rights, not unilateral military adventurism.

The United States cannot credibly defend a rules‑based order while simultaneously violating its core principles. I respectfully ask that you use your position to ensure that Congress fulfills its elected duty to monitor, question, and, when necessary, check such behavior by the executive branch.

Thank you for your service to Oklahoma and for your attention to this urgent matter. I would appreciate a response outlining your office’s position on this action and what steps you plan to take in Congress.

Respectfully,

James Michael Pontious M.D.

2830 Wildwood Drive  

Enid, Oklahoma 73703

jmpontious@gmail.com