Judging Freedom - Larry Johnson: Mossad Cooperation Alleged in Venezuela

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

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And with Ollie's in-app on-demand health screenings, tap real experts whenever you need peace of mind. Visit ollie.com slash crossover and use code crossover for 60% off your first box. Freedom is a fragile thing, and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it, have never known it again. What if sometimes to love your country you had to alter or abolish the government? What if Jefferson was right?

What if that government is best, which governs least? What if it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong? What if it is better to perish fighting for freedom than to live as a slave? What if freedom's greatest hour of danger is now? Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Monday, January 5th, 2026. Larry Johnson will be here with us in just a moment with his analysis on the events in Venezuela, including was the Israeli Mossad involved. But first, this. History tells us every market eventually falls. Currencies collapse. And look at where we are.

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The audience was huge, and your analysis deeply appreciated. Are you surprised at all that Marco Rubio was unable to state a legal basis for running the government, for the United States government to run the government of Venezuela? Well, yes, he's not following the talking point. The one possible legal justification, and again, it's a stretch, is around this concept that Maduro was not a legally elected president. He was an ill-legal leader. And, you know, it still doesn't excuse the United States imperial invasion

of Venezuela, but that had been sort of a talking point throughout the Trump administration, and I was actually surprised that Rubio didn't follow along and continue to make that claim. We just a little bit ago, Mike Waltz, the U.S. rep of the United Nations Security Council, was making that very case that, you know, Maduro is not, it was illegal. Now, the funny thing about that, if they want to go down that path, then how in the world can the United States continue to support Vladimir Zelensky? He's illegal because he went past his presidential term and just declared himself, you know, essentially president for life or as long as the war is going on.

Well, according to Trump and his folks, Joe Biden was illegal because Trump really won that election. I mean, the legal authority is the person who takes the oath. how can a foreign government make a determination that the oath was taken illegally? But here's Rubio trying to answer that. He squirms around and squirms around and talks about seizure of oil tankers not running the country because he's the one that will be stuck running the country as the viceroy of Venezuela. Chris, cut number 10. President Trump was pretty clear yesterday.

He said the United States is going to run Venezuela. under what legal authority? Well, first of all, what's going to happen here is that we have a quarantine on their oil. That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan people are met. And that's what we intend to do. So that leverage remains. That leverage is ongoing.

And we expect that it's going to lead to results here. We're hopeful that it does positive results for the people of Venezuela, but ultimately, most importantly for us in the national interest of the United States. we will no longer have, hopefully, as we move forward here, we'll set the condition so that we no longer have in our hemisphere of Venezuela that's the crossroads for many of our adversaries around the world, including Iran and Hezbollah, is no longer sending us drug gangs, is no longer sending us drug boats, is no longer a narco-trafficking paradise

for all those drugs coming out of Colombia to go in through the Caribbean and towards the United States. Let me ask the question again. What is the legal authority for the United States to be running Venezuela? Well, I explain to you what our goals are and how we're going to use the leverage to make it happen. As far as what our legal authority is on the quarantine, I'm very simple, we have court orders.

These are sanction boats, and we get orders from courts to go after and seize these sanctions. So that's, I don't know, is a court not a legal authority? Oh, my God. He doesn't know what he's talking about. It is stupidity on display. I mean, really, it's downright embarrassing. You know, Rubio's not, he's not mentally retarded, okay?

He is not somebody with an IQ below 90. He does have basic human intelligence. And yet to perform like that, to say the things that he did, it's just, it's an embarrassment. But again, look, this has nothing to do with drugs and stopping the flow of drugs. If the United States wants to do that, do it here in the United States, go after the money. It's very simple.

You take out the money of this, then the drug, shipping the drugs here is not worth the effort. But the problem is there are so many, there are Republicans and Democrats, compromise, making money off of the drug money. And we're not talking about some, you know, scumbag on a corner in Baltimore. We're talking about people sitting in the Congress,

sitting in state legislatures. sitting in political positions. This drug money permeates American society, and that's one of the reasons he keeps going, because it's profitable. At one point, Secretary Rubio told Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, when she said, why didn't you go to Congress? I know, that's easy.

There's two reasons. One, Congress would leak, and two, it was an emergency. What emergency? What conceivable emergency justified, this 2 a.m. invasion of the presidential bedroom. Well, in fact, there's something very, very odd about this. So I spent 23 years working with the U.S. military special operations forces and was involved in planning exercises.

And those exercises involved scenarios like this, where you go in and either kill or capture a target. Normally, they prefer to carry out these. operations in the middle of the night when it is dark this night was a full moon i don't know if you've ever been out in the countryside when we're away from city lights and you've got a full moon going uh you're able to walk around and navigate very easily without having to worry about night vision goggles um so this was it was odd on the timing of that alone and then trump admitted that he said earlier it had been planned for earlier in the week but weather prevent

it. But as you noted, there was no imperative. It's not like Maduro was loading up the Titanic to send a Titanic load of cocaine to the United States. This is pure theater, and part of that theater, as I've insisted, pertains to Israel and to the impending attack that's going to take place on Iran. Getting control of Venezuelan oil is an important element in the U.S. plans to attack Iran again, I believe. Here's, well, nominally, the United States ambassador to Israel. He might as very well be the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Mike Huckabee, this weekend, Sunday on Newsmax.

Chris, cut number eight. Well, my first reaction, Rob, was to say, praise the Lord and thank you, President Trump. A lot of people may not make the connection. as to why this matters to us in the Middle East. What they don't know is that Hezbollah is very active in Venezuela. The ties are deep, and Hezbollah operates in 12 different countries throughout South America. It is not just a threat in the Western Hemisphere.

It is a threat to the Middle East. So for the president to go after Venezuela not only deals with narco-terrorism and the many deaths of Americans who are killed by the poison of drugs, It is going to make life for those of us living in the Middle East much better, much safer to take Maduro out to recognize that Hezbollah is active here, targeting not just Jewish people in all over South America, but using those tentacles to ultimately reach into the United States. This is good news for America, good news for the world. Massad involved in this invasion. Not likely, but look, Besad has been very active in helping promote drug trafficking in this hemisphere.

You know, I had personal... Promote or retard? No, I mean, you know, let me, I'll point out, back in 2003, I was dealing with a Panamanian by the name of Mark. Marco Schram, little Jewish guy. He got jammed up and convicted or charged anyway with smuggling weapons out of Guatemala that were being supplied by Mossad. He's smuggling those weapons into Colombia to the out of the defense, the AUC, as it's called, which is an extreme right-wing group. And they got heavily involved with drug trafficking. And you know Mossad knew about it.

Look, there is, you've got a significant Lebanese Muslim population throughout Central and South America. They are merchants. They are entrepreneurs. They're not hidden terrorists. This claim that Hezbollah is there. How many attacks have been recorded by Hezbollah in the last 34 years? It's believed back in 1992 that Hezbollah was involved in an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in retaliation for the Israeli murder of a Hezbollah leader. It wasn't that they were just because we hate Jews. That's nonsense. It's always been tit for tat. Since then, you've not had any documented attacks by Hezbollah or Hamas in Central or South America. And so this is just this red herring that's trotted out. Yes, there are these family networks that are Muslims that are tied to Lebanon.

That is an indisputable fact. But they're involved with business and commerce. They're not involved with terrorism. But again, that's how the United States is trying to justify this kind of imperial interference by us right now in Venezuela. Help me to get into the head of our mutual friend, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov today. He knows that the Americans, CIA, were involved in the attempted attack on President Putin's home. He has seen that the American government does not respect the rule of law at all and will use. brute force in this case to extend its hegemony and acquire oil. What do you think he's thinking? Should we keep talking to Trump? Should we keep negotiating with these people? Should we just

finish the war off? Well, he made it clear earlier last week, Monday or Tuesday, in response to that attack on the Putin residence, that Russia is reassessing how it's going to approach negotiations relative to Ukraine. Look, I think they've reached the stage that they have, I think Lovov at least, has come to the realization that the United States is not to be trusted, that the United States is complicit. This attack on the official residence, attempted attack on the official residence of Putin was actually, it's rumored that there was, as Alistair Crook discussed with you earlier

today, a nuclear command and control center. Now, this would represent, as Alistair pointed out, the third such attack in three years on Russia's nuclear command and control system. Russia can't sit back and say that that's just a coincidence or an unexpected error. I think it is clear that United States, at least through the CIA, there is no intention of backing off, of stopping the attacks on Russia, on Russia's infrastructure, in an effort to try to weaken and destroy Russia. That the United States is not looking for a peaceful accommodation.

And once you realize that that's, you know, it's one thing if you're dealing with somebody who committed manslaughter, it was an accident, they didn't mean to, it's another thing if you're dealing with Hannibal Lecter, a serial killer, who's going to eat you at the same time. And that's what, unfortunately, I hate to say it for my country and your country, that we've become a Hannibal Lecter. We're not someone accidentally creating a mayhem and murder around the world. It's a deliberate, conscious policy.

Who would trust the United States to comply faithfully with its treaty agreements after this? And by the way, and you know this as well as anybody. Every one of those treaties, the United States assigned United Nations Charter, Treaty Against Torture, we wrote. Right. And we've violated it at will, whether it was, you know, allowing torture to go on of a suspected, quote, Al-Qaeda members that, you know, at the same time that we'd recruit Al-Qaeda members to do our dirty work. The walking away from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty under George W. Bush, Donald Trump, walking away from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Agreement. Again, the United States, in terms of his actions, has not demonstrated any foundation for being trusted. And now we, in complete violation of international law, just because we declare Nicholas Maduro as a criminal. And look, I'm not here to argue that Maduro was some sort of, you know, great guy, some wonderful Democrat, the Mahatma Gandhi of South America.

But regardless of his misdeeds and suspected crimes, the United States, no government in the world has the right to go out and conduct these kinds of operations where we invade another country, kidnap its leader, and then haul them off to the United States, kidnapped him and his wife. So this sets a precedent that, you know, if Russia and China were so inclined,

they could do it now. And where's our moral authority to protest? This is the most important loss in all of this. There was a time, whether it deserved or not, that the U.S. had moral standing in the world. We were seen as different. We were seen as somebody who actually believed in law and wanted to uphold both the rights of individuals

and private property. But now that whole thing is, exposes a complete scam. We're in it for the money. We're going to do whatever we need to do to serve ourselves, and we don't care who we have to run over to do it. Here's President Zelensky's reaction when he learned about the kidnapping of President Maduro.

Chris cut number six. About Venezuela? Well, how should I respond to that? What can I say? If that is truly how you can effectively deal with powerful dictators, then the United States of America certainly knows precisely what to do next. He's suggesting that the United States government should attempt to kidnap President Putin. Well, if the questions of, you know, Putin's legally represented, so, you know, obviously he can't do that. So the only illegal ruler in this case is him.

So maybe, yeah, it would be a good thing. Send Delta Force in, grab his ass and haul him back to the United States and try him for robbing the United States of $48 billion. But that's not going to happen. And again, this is the hypocrisy that's on display. The United States, as we talked at the outset, it's one hook was to claim that Nicholas Maduro was not the legal president of Venezuela.

Therefore, he doesn't have any kind of protection. so we can do whatever the hell we want to it. Well, guess what? Volodemir Zelenskyy is no longer the legal president of Ukraine because when his term was up, instead of having elections and selecting a new leader, he declared elections null and void and just said, hey, I've got to stay on in power. So by virtue of that, he's no longer actually the legal president. But again, what's the principle?

If we say that the sovereigns of the government, the sovereigns of nations, that nations are sovereign and that one nation cannot go in and interfere and meddle with another, then, you know, it'd be one thing if everyone was living by that, but we don't. And this is where that whole Monroe doctrine thing, that 99% of Americans don't understand it and wrongly interpret it. They basically, the current interpretation is we, the United States, can prevent any foreign government from having any kind of relation, diplomatic, economic, with any country in Central, South America, and Mexico. We get to make that call.

That's not the Monroe Doctrine. That's not what James Monroe said in his speech to Congress in 1823. What he said was, we're going to resist colonial Europeans who come in and try to take over countries that have declared their independence. We'll fight against that. But we have a firm policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries, including Europe. We stay at home. We mind our own damn business.

The United States has desecrated that entire concept. Here's hypocrisy on steroids in that respect, Larry. Chris, cut number seven. We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. Our current strategy of nation building and regime change is a proven absolute failure. We will break the cycle of regime change. We must abandon the failed policy of nation building and regime change that Hillary Clinton pushed in Iraq, in Libya, in Egypt, and in Syria. regime change takes chaos.

You've seen how that works over the last. 20 years, that hasn't been too good. It's not a reckless interventionist globalism. We're getting out of the nation-building business. We're going to stay until such time as the proper

transition can take place. Hey, kudos to Chris for pulling that together. It's fabulous. Now, you've got to wonder, when did the Martians show up and kidnap Donald Trump? Because that Trump that was there before, yeah, most, I think that was one of the foundations for his support.

Yes. He was saying what so many Americans believed that, yeah, we got no business in regime change. Now he's been captive. And actually, you can see the difference in his, the way he used to talk and appear that he could think. He is so muddled-brained right now. He's slurring his words, the low energy that is reflected in what he's saying. Again, I don't think he is mentally competent anymore to continue in office in this kind of complete reversal of what was seemingly a foundational policy of MAGA, where we're not going to get in the regime change business anymore. Baby, we have now bit off a big chunk that I don't think we're going to be able to swallow in Venezuela.

Chris, play again just the first line or two, if you can, of cut number. 7, Trump the other night, and you'll see what Larry was talking about, how withered and almost mumbling and stumbling and bumbling he appears. We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, just the contrast with what he was before about when he's speaking out against regime change. And that's, you know, the heart of what the United States was supposed to be a stay-at-home,

keep our hands to ourselves. Yeah. But as, you know, I put up a piece last night, as I noted that even though in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was articulated, it was 23 years later that President Polk authorized provoking a war with Mexico Mexico who had declared its independence from Spain and the United States supported Mexico in that declaration of independence. All of a sudden we found

Mexican independence took place in 1810. So 36 years later, 1846, the United States provokes and launches a war against Mexico because we wanted to take Texas, we wanted New Mexico, we wanted Arizona, we wanted California. And it was a war of aggression. All of a sudden, the United States went from,

we're going to keep our hands to ourselves and mind our own damn business to we're going to start taking over others we're going to start dictating to the people of mexico central america south america what they can and can't do we get to call the shots what do you think happens to the um uh kersner whitcroft negotiations now why why would the russians even give them a time a day yeah i don't think they will i i think that process is essentially dead There is no foundation for agreement. It doesn't matter whether the United States has 19 points, 20 points, or 28 points. Russia has made it very clear what its non-negotiable items are,

and that is both the international recognition of the territories that have become part of the Russian Federation, number one, the complete removal of the Ukrainian troops from Russian territory, the elimination of NATO in any form or fashion, including providing security guarantees to Ukraine, no, they've got to get the hell out. And then there's got to be elections in Ukraine. Those are non-negotiable items for Russia before they start negotiations. So Whitkoff and Kushner, you know, they have no say on that.

And, you know, frankly, the United, this latest attempt to kill Putin, because that's how the Russians are viewing it. And the CIA, actually, as we discussed last week, inadvertently confirmed it when they came out and said, no, no, no, we, those drones weren't trying to kill Putin. They were trying to hit this other target. Well, how do you know that unless you're involved in the process, which they absolutely were? So, you know, I think the Russians have to sit back and recognize that Trump is not in control of the CIA and the CIA is pursuing its own agenda. All over Trump's statements this weekend were Ratcliffe, Rubio, and Heggseth. Gee, what became of two of the more adults in the room? J.D. Vance and Tulsi Gabbard, nowhere to be seen.

Yeah, Tulsi's getting the mushroom treatment. You know, keep her in the dark, pile manure on top. J.D. Vance has reportedly been one of the few voices trying to speak out against this. But actually, he did come out and provide excuses for, you know, try to justify this illegal act against Maduro. It's interesting, you know, Robert Barnes is, he's an attorney, and he's friends with J.D. Vance. But J.D. tried to pretend that there was some sort of legal justification for this.

And J.D. too, is a lawyer, but he was, Robert Barnes schooled him very well, pointing out that this, if the United States sets this up as the legal precedent then basically it means any country in the world can do this and we'll have you know it's it's the law of the jungle the strongest survive those with the most muscle that can beat the hell out of everybody else they get to make the rules at the risk of giving you a heartburn here's the anti larry johnson aboard air force one last night Chris cut number 11. We talked about a drug caliphate in our backyard. You know, we had Venezuela, we have Cuba, we have Colombia in our backyard. And these three countries have been condemned

ever since I've been in politics. He's going to clear our backyard of a drug caliphate, countries run by narco-terrorist dictators who murder, rape, send drugs into our country. to kill thousands of our citizens. When bin Laden went down, I was the first to applaud President Obama. And as to this Commander-in-Chief, he did something people talked about doing. You just wait for Cuba. Their days are numbered. We're going to wake up one day, I hope in 26.

In our backyard, we're going to have allies in these countries doing business with America, not narco-terrorist dictators, killing Americans. This is a big frigging day. And everybody in the world is thinking differently than they were just a few days ago because of what you did. Well, did it work when we put our own regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan? Yeah, boy, that's been a raging success, hasn't it? Yeah. You know, what the hell are they talking about Cuba?

Cuba threatening us? Cuba hasn't threatened us in 60 years. And even then, it was a reaction to our. invasion of Cuba, number one. But notice who was left off that list. Mexico, yet the primary source of the drugs flowing into the United States, especially fentanyl, which is doing most of the killing of Americans, it's coming out of Mexico.

But, hey, if Trump wants to get into a war with Colombia, with Cuba, with Mexico, with, you know, other countries. Watch you, they're going to go after Brazil as well because of Brazil's rolling bricks. That's going to be a battle. The United States can no longer fight and win. You know, we're deluding ourselves. But, you know, this is, whenever you know, when you hear Lindsey Graham, you know, the little old lady from South Carolina praising Donald Trump's moves, you know Trump is in trouble.

With Howard Lutnik standing right there and nodding like a bobblehead. Yeah, exactly. I was going to say, Bobblehead, Dala, you know, huh, huh, huh. Right, right. Larry, thank you very much. Thanks for your triple duty this week, Saturday, Monday, and of course, we have Friday coming up with Ray McGovern. All the best, my friend.

We always have to support our friends, Judge. Likewise. Thank you. Thank you. Coming up at 1 o'clock this afternoon, our expert on Venezuela, Mrs. Max Blumenthal, otherwise known as Anya Parenthold. Judge Napolitano for judging freedom. I don't know.