Concerns about a potential &#8220;tip off&#8221; and general heightened security threats kept Vice President JD Vance away from the Situation Room during the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and a post-capture presser. 
A spokesperson for the vice president told Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan that Vance was &#8220;deeply integrated in the process and planning of the Venezuela strikes and Maduro’s arrest.&#8221; 
Notably, the vice president also voiced his support for the operation and hit critics claiming Trump&#8217;s actions were &#8220;illegal.&#8221;
“Vice President Vance was deeply integrated in the process and planning of the Venezuela strikes and Maduro’s arrest,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;He joined several late-night meetings via secure video conference with National Security principals leading up to the operation. The Vice President briefly met with President Trump at the Trump golf club in West Palm Beach during the day Friday to discuss the strikes.&#8221;
&#8220;The Vice President was not at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night, as the National Security team was concerned a late-night motorcade movement by the Vice President while the operation was getting underway may tip off the Venezuelans,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;The Vice President joined by secure video conference throughout the night to monitor the operation.&#8221;
&#8220;Due to increased security concerns, the Administration has aimed to limit the frequency and duration of the Vice President and President being co-located away from the White House,&#8221; the spokesperson added. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On Vice President Vance’s role in last night’s midnight raid in Venezuela, per a VP spox to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>:
“Vice President Vance was deeply integrated in the process and planning of the Venezuela strikes and Maduro’s arrest.
He joined several late night meetings via secure…
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2007528410172592533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
Vance on Saturday posted on X that Maduro was offered &#8220;multiple off ramps,&#8221; but chose to ignore them. &#8220;Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.&#8221;
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
&#8220;And PSA for everyone saying this was &#8216;illegal&#8217;: Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism,&#8221; he added. &#8220;You don&#8217;t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
And PSA for everyone saying this was &#8220;illegal&#8221;:
Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don&#8217;t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/2007447388697268441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
On Saturday morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were indicted in the Southern District of New York. Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States, the AG said.
&#8220;On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,&#8221; Bondi added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2007428087143686611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/general-razin-caine-breaks-down-incredible-details-of-operation-to-capture-maduro?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=General+‘Razin’+Caine+Breaks+Down+Incredible+Details+Of+Operation+To+Capture+Maduro">General ‘Razin’ Caine Breaks Down Incredible Details Of Operation To Capture Maduro</a>

Vice President JD Vance Speaks In Allentown, Pennsylvania

JD Vance Was ‘Deeply Integrated’ In Planning For Venezuela Strike

Donald Trump

Global Politics

JD Vance

Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela

World

Maine is set to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-freezes-maines-federal-funds-over-men-in-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lose</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maines-trans-sports-policy-could-cost-state-100m-in-usda-money-trump-admin-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal funding</a> for its Department of Education and <a href="https://x.com/nickineily/status/1909378305620336918" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school meal program</a> over Governor Janet Mills’s refusal to conform to the Trump administration’s transgender policies. But the network of transgender groups surrounding Mills and her family — and paying them handsomely — could shed some light on why Maine&#8217;s leadership seems unwilling to budge.
Mills’ continued support for these <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-trans-athletes-womens-sports-maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">policies</a> seems baffling, given how <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-trans-athletes-womens-sports-maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unpopular</a> they are in Maine.
MaineHealth — where Mills’ sister, Dora Anne Mills, is chief health improvement officer — was a <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/officeholders/janet-t-mills/contributors?cycle=2022&amp;id=9941379" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top donor</a> to Mills’ 2022 gubernatorial run. The healthcare system offers damaging and irreversible “<a href="https://www.mainehealth.org/care-services/pediatric-care-child-health/gender-care?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">treatments</a>” for gender-confused minors, such as puberty blockers, “gender affirming hormone therapy,” and “menstrual suppression.”
Such procedures are lucrative for MaineHealth, and, of course, backed by Gov. Mills.
The Maine Medical Center, which is part of MaineHealth, doled out so-called transgender treatment to the largest number of minors in the state, <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to data available from the Do No Harm database. The medical center, according to a <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2024/10/do-no-harm-data-show-maine-hospitals-are-helping-children-get-sex-change-drugs-surgeries-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The Maine Wire, submitted tens of thousands of dollars&#8217; worth of insurance claims on 244 prescriptions for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatments.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-915519" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen1-881x576.png" alt="" width="881" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen1-881x576.png 881w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen1-300x196.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen1-768x502.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen1.png 977w" sizes=" (max-width: 881px) 100vw, 881px" /></div>
In 2023, Mills signed a bill into law that allows minors to access hormone therapies without their parents’ consent. At MaineHealth, there is a “<a href="https://www.mainehealth.org/mainehealth-lincoln-hospital/care-services-mainehealth-lincoln-hospital/school-based-health-centers-mainehealth-lincoln-hospital" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school-based health center</a>” that permits minors to speak to nurses and doctors about their health concerns without parental consent.
“Sometimes, children need to talk with someone who is unbiased, supportive and can offer a fresh perspective,” the website reads. “While we encourage students to involve a parent or guardian in their care, questions that teens may have related to drug and alcohol use, mental health, sexually transmitted disease and family planning may not require parental notification or permission.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-915521" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen2-1024x343.png" alt="" width="1024" height="343" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen2-1024x343.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen2-300x101.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen2-768x257.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/mainescreen2.png 1125w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
In 2024, Mills signed another bill that <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2024-04-23/new-shield-laws-passed-protect-providers-of-reproductive-health-and-transgender-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shields</a> providers of so-called transgender care for minors from laws in other states that restrict such procedures. Republicans strongly opposed such laws for numerous reasons, especially since the law could potentially help facilitate transgender treatments on a minor without parental consent.
The governor has also signed a bill banning so-called &#8220;conversion therapy&#8221; for minors who identify as gay or transgender. Critics say such legislation can block parents and loved ones from resisting a child’s social or physical “transition,” as they instead opt for counseling or other options.
Maine-based investigative reporter and editor-in-chief of The Maine Wire, Steven Robinson, told The Daily Wire that Mills in 2019 “unilaterally changed Maine&#8217;s Medicaid program,” MaineCare, “to force the taxpayers of Maine to fund elective sex-change procedures — procedures that have been shown in diverse medical studies to have adverse health outcomes for patients, especially minor patients.”
“The Maine Wire used Maine&#8217;s Freedom of Access Act to determine that these taxpayer-funded sex-change procedures have become increasingly common, including at the Barbara Bush Children&#8217;s Hospital, which is part of the MaineHealth network,” he noted.
Robinson also highlighted how MaineHealth&#8217;s revenue has exploded since Mills took office in January 2019.
“MaineHealth, nominally a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has seen its revenue grow from $1.54 billion in 2018, the year before Mills took office, to $3.69 billion as of 2023,” he said.
“The governor&#8217;s sister, Dora Mills, joined MaineHealth as the ‘Chief Health Improvement Officer’ in late 2018, around the same time her sister was measuring the drapes at the Blaine House, and the confluence of jobs for the Mills sisters has coincided with remarkable growth in MaineHealth&#8217;s revenue,” Robinson added. “All a coincidence, I&#8217;m sure.”
MaineHealth is bringing in money from transgender “care” for minors while getting the full-backing — even through legislative means — from Mills. Additionally, under Dora Anne Mills’ leadership, MaineHealth has poured money into Mills&#8217; gubernatorial campaign and saw massive revenue growth.
On top of all that, the transgender lobby in Maine spent millions of dollars during Mills&#8217; 2022 election.
“Pro-transgender organizations spent almost $2.5 million on political activities during Maine’s 2022 general election, when Mills was reelected,” a Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3332726/janet-mills-trump-transgender-interests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> found.
The report notes that these pro-trans organizations “are among the largest employers in Maine, put aside millions of dollars for political spending every election cycle, and maintain robust lobbying operations.”
&#8220;Extreme outside groups are driving the policy decisions in Maine,” State Rep. Laurel Libby told The Daily Wire. “Polling demonstrates that the vast majority of Mainers do not support biological males participating in girls’ sports and do support parental rights, yet legislation passed the last 5-plus years runs directly counter to that.”
“Governor Mills and the Democrat majority are beholden to radical leftwing special interests and have no regard for the will of the people,” she added.
Libby has notably been silenced and barred from voting by state Democrats for drawing attention to males in Maine competing against females, and, in one case, snagging a girls&#8217; high school state championship in pole vaulting.
Mills has continued to claim that she’s merely following “state law,” which she contends supersedes federal law, as she backs transgender policies.
“This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law,” the governor said in a statement released on April 16, following the announcement of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-unleashes-on-maine-announces-new-lawsuit-against-state-for-violating-title-ix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump administration lawsuit</a> against Maine for Title IX violations.
MaineHealth&#8217;s vice president of system communications and public affairs, John Porter, told The Daily Wire via email on Saturday that any assertions suggesting a conflict of interest &#8220;are an obvious distortion of the facts and, as such, do not merit a response.&#8221;
Porter&#8217;s email signature includes his preferred pronouns, &#8220;he/him/his.&#8221; Janet Mills did not respond to a request for comment.

President Trump Meets With Governors At The White House

Janet Mills And Her Family Get Rich Off The Maine Governor’s Transgender Stance

Maine

Transgender

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a civil lawsuit against the state of Maine on Wednesday for officials&#8217; refusal to protect girls&#8217; and women&#8217;s spaces and sports per Title IX rules.
A fiery Bondi announced the lawsuit and scolded Maine leaders, noting that the Trump administration tried its best to get Maine to comply before it filed suit.
&#8220;We have no other choice, we are taking them to court,&#8221; Bondi said.
The AG was joined at the presser by Maine state lawmaker Rep. Laurel Libby (R), female fencer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-fencer-speaks-out-after-shes-expelled-for-protesting-male-opponent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephanie Turner</a>, female rights advocate Riley Gaines, numerous female athletes from Maine, and others.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> announces a civil lawsuit against Maine for refusing to protect women and women’s sports and spaces. <a href="https://t.co/6q0jtXkJwO">pic.twitter.com/6q0jtXkJwO</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1912483114351317390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
A copy of the lawsuit, which was obtained by Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan, says the United States is suing Maine over its Department of Education &#8220;openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designed exclusively for girls.&#8221;
The suit is seeking to get Maine to stop its noncompliance with federal law and also seeks to grant females who were passed over by males their appropriate awards.
Bondi also said the department is looking at possibly retroactively pulling funding the state of Maine received for not complying in the past.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
a case of FAFO: <a href="https://t.co/fYRF6El4Kg">pic.twitter.com/fYRF6El4Kg</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1912484747726512273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
During the presser, Bondi cited a male athlete taking first place in a state final for girls&#8217; pole vaulting, which was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boy-wins-girls-pole-vault-championship-in-maine-days-after-state-pledged-to-defy-trump-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported by The Daily Wire</a>. &#8220;He beat every female by a significant margin, qualifying him for regional championships. That took a spot away from a young woman,&#8221; Bondi said.
Last year, another male athlete competed in female ski and cross-country races in Maine and finished first in the women&#8217;s 5k. His time would have placed him 43rd if he were competing with fellow males, a DOJ press release said.
Gaines, who spoke at the presser, thanked President Donald Trump for protecting girls and said, &#8220;Accountability is back in the White House.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a>, speaking at DOJ, details all the ways women have been harmed by men in their spaces — and censored for speaking out.
These abuses aren’t happening in Afghanistan or the UK, she says. They’re happening in the USA.
“Accountability is back in the White House.” <a href="https://t.co/CAAlYUj4gc">pic.twitter.com/CAAlYUj4gc</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1912487694397059358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
In February, Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills got into a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-spars-with-maines-dem-governor-over-men-in-womens-sports-at-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public spat with President Trump</a> when she refused to comply with the president’s order barring males from girls’ sports, <a href="https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/1904334942999363625" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arguing</a> that she was following state law.
Subsequently, numerous Maine officials and organizations followed Mills&#8217; lead and refused to comply with Title IX, sparking numerous investigations and rule violation findings.
Notably, it was found that the state also placed a convicted male murderer who identifies as female into a female correctional facility.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-trans-athletes-womens-sports-maine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EXCLUSIVE POLL: Maine Voters Side With Trump On Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports</a>

Pam Bondi, Janet Mills

Bondi Unleashes On Maine, Announces New Lawsuit Against State For Violating Title IX

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Amanda Prestigiacomo and Mary Margaret Olohan

JD Vance Was ‘Deeply Integrated’ In Planning For Venezuela Strike

Janet Mills And Her Family Get Rich Off The Maine Governor’s Transgender Stance

Bondi Unleashes On Maine, Announces New Lawsuit Against State For Violating Title IX