by Matthew Holloway | Jan 6, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona’s elected officials are sharply divided following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and their transfer to the United States to face federal criminal charges.
The dramatic action, announced by President Donald Trump, involved a precision military operation in Caracas and the extraction of Maduro to New York, where he is expected to appear in federal court on drug and narco-terrorism charges.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) condemned the raid in a statement posted to X, saying that while Maduro is a “brutal, illegitimate dictator” who deserves justice, the decision to overthrow a foreign ruler without broader planning undermines U.S. security and lacks a clear strategy for what comes next. Kelly said the operation doesn’t “make Americans any safer today than they were yesterday” and warned against repeating past foreign policy mistakes.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07) also criticized the operation in a statement posted to X, as “reckless, unconstitutional, and deeply destabilizing,” arguing that bypassing Congress for military action erodes democratic accountability and sets a dangerous precedent.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) argued that while Maduro’s regime “shattered Venezuela,” the U.S. Constitution requires congressional authorization for acts of war — a threshold he argued was not met.
Support for the raid among Arizona Republicans centered on holding Maduro accountable for years of alleged narcotic trafficking and violence.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) framed the action as a decisive strike against a “narco-terror regime” responsible for drug flows into the United States. He praised U.S. military personnel for executing the mission “with courage and precision” and said the operation sends a clear signal that the U.S. will confront threats in its hemisphere.
In a similar supporting statement, Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) wrote, “I support President Donald Trump’s decisive actions to hold Nicolás Maduro accountable, a brutal oppressor who has led a drug cartel masquerading as a government and terrorized his own people. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler who lost at the ballot box and now clings to power through violence, corruption, and the narcotics trade that has poisoned American communities. This is peace through strength in action, defending our own backyard and stopping threats before they reach our borders. Reports that Chinese officials met with Maduro just yesterday and were still on the ground during the operation only underscore how urgent and necessary strong American leadership is. Peace through strength!”
Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) characterized the raid as consistent with “America First” leadership and defended the legal grounding of the operation, noting that the indictments against Maduro formed the basis for a law-enforcement action with military support.
Sen. Warren Petersen (R-LD14) also praised the operation, highlighting Maduro’s status as an indicted narco-terrorist and emphasizing that Trump’s actions were necessary where previous administrations had failed.
He wrote, “Maduro murdered thousands, indicted twice on narco-terrorism charges, and has a $50M bounty on his head. Yet our classless Democrat Senators are sympathizing with him and crying over his arrest. Unreal. Prioritizing a brutal thug over justice and the Venezuelan people. The DOJ arrested him with assistance of the US Military. 100 percent constitutional under Article 2 powers. Biden said he would take care of Maduro but did not. Biden talked, Trump acted.”
Karrin Taylor Robson, also a Republican gubernatorial contender, thanked U.S. troops for the successful mission and described Trump’s action as protecting American communities from drug-related harm.
The split in Arizona reflects a broader national debate over executive authority, constitutional war powers, and U.S. foreign intervention, and, more broadly, familiar partisan divisions over President Donald Trump. Democrats argue the military action lacked legal authorization and risks long-term entanglement abroad, while Republicans applaud the decisive removal of a hostile regime accused of narcotics trafficking and oppression.
As Maduro’s legal proceedings unfold in U.S. federal court, the divergent Arizona reactions illustrate how foreign policy flashpoints continue to break sharply along partisan lines.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 29, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) has joined Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL07) in introducing federal legislation aimed at prioritizing American firms for defense-related professional services contracts. The legislation, titled the Securing American Firms & Expertise in Services (SAFE Services) Act, introduced as H.R. 6882, would require the Department of Defense to give preference to U.S.-based companies when awarding contracts for professional services connected to national security.
Mills stated, “American tax dollars should strengthen American companies and protect American security,” adding that the SAFE Services Act is designed to close what he described as a procurement gap that allows foreign firms to obtain sensitive defense-adjacent contracts. The legislation would not apply to manufacturing contracts but would focus exclusively on professional and advisory services.
Hamadeh, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, “The people in my district elected me to put America first. That means supporting American workers and revitalizing American industry. It’s why I prioritized Arizona military communities and our local manufacturers in my amendments to the defense bill.”
“This legislation by Rep. Mills helps codify that spirit. It requires the Department of War to prioritize American companies during the procurement of professional services,” Hamadeh added. “The economic and national security implications alone should demand a preference for American companies, but this bill will ensure it is more than a suggestion.”
Under the proposal, affected contracts would include services such as engineering and architecture, design and environmental consulting, financial consulting, program management, and legal support, as well as “other expert services as defined under the Federal Acquisition (Regulation),” all areas that lawmakers say are increasingly being outsourced to foreign-owned firms.
According to information cited by the bill’s sponsors, more than $1 billion in Department of Defense professional services contracts were awarded to 616 foreign-owned companies during fiscal year 2024, “despite the availability of thousands of qualified American firms capable of performing the same work.”
Referencing the Buy American Act and the Berry Amendment, which legally require the Department of Defense to prioritize domestically produced goods, the release stated, “No comparable preference currently exists for defense professional services,” adding that the SAFE Services Act: “addresses this oversight by requiring the Department of War to prioritize American companies when procuring professional services essential to military readiness and infrastructure.”
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Ethan Faverino | Dec 18, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
U.S. Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) has sent a sharply worded letter to the Acting Chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Caroline D. Pham, seeking answers and potential regulatory action regarding the newly announced partnership between prediction-market platform Kalshi and CNN.
In the letter, Congressman Hamadeh warns that the collaboration “poses direct and foreseeable threats to market integrity, democratic stability, and American national security,” arguing that it creates an unprecedented structural conflict of interest by allowing a major news organization to both report on and financially benefit from high-stakes geopolitical events.
“CNN would be uniquely positioned to shape public perception and news cycles around the very events Kalshi lists as tradable markets,” said Congressman Hamadeh. “These events would involve elections, war, foreign policy crises, and domestic instability. No other major media outlet has attempted such a partnership, and for good reason: it creates a built-in structural conflict of interest that allows an influential news organization or foreign adversaries to shape outcomes for financial or competitive advantage.”
The congressman highlighted Kalshi’s existing controversial markets, including contracts that reportedly allowed trading on whether Palestinians in Gaza would suffer mass starvation or when Israel might conduct military actions in Gaza or the West Bank—markets he described as “chilling.”
Specifically, the congressman posed four questions to the CFTC:
- What actions is the Commission taking to review the CNN-Kalshi partnership under Section 5c(c)(5)(C), with respect to informational conflicts of interest and event manipulation?
- Is the CFTC assessing whether the partnership creates vulnerabilities for foreign or domestic actors to influence U.S. politics, economics, or national security for financial profit?
- Has the Commission evaluated whether CNN’s editorial influence, combined with Kalshi’s event contracts, renders these markets “contrary to the public interest?”
- What steps will the CFTC require to ensure robust compliance controls, including editorial firewalls, conflict-of-interest disclosures, and foreign-influence screening?
Hamadeh gave Acting Chairwoman Pham 30 days to provide a detailed written response outlining the Commission’s assessment and planned actions.
“My constituents have raised alarm bells about a media company with a long-documented record of partisan manipulation now positioning itself to influence and profit from geopolitical events in real time,” stated Hamadeh. “This partnership is not merely inappropriate; it is outright dangerous.”
He concluded, “The CFTC’s mission is to safeguard the integrity of U.S. markets, and allowing CNN, a network already viewed by many Americans as a propagandistic actor, to operate inside a live prediction market creates unacceptable national-security and governance vulnerabilities.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 17, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
House Republicans, led by Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08), unveiled legislation Friday proposing the creation of a permanent national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring Americans killed by individuals unlawfully present in the United States.
The proposal would establish a permanent memorial dedicated to victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, a category House Republicans say has been overlooked in national remembrance efforts.
At a Friday press event, Hamadeh said the bill “authorizes a permanent national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring U.S. citizens and lawful residents whose lives are taken by individuals unlawfully present in the United States.” He added, “But in many ways, it also shames the politicians who allowed this situation to happen.”
In a later post to X, he wrote in part, “Humbled and grateful to lead this effort to establish a memorial in honor of the victims of Biden’s border crisis. Thank you to the incredible Angel Parents for sharing their experiences, my congressional colleagues for joining this effort, and the @TABSReport American Border Story for fighting alongside us.”
According to Fox News, the legislation is being led by Republican lawmakers who say the memorial would serve as both a place of remembrance and a public acknowledgment of the consequences of federal immigration policy failures. The proposal calls for a federally designated site that would memorialize victims while remaining nonpartisan in its presentation.
Newsmax reported that eight co-sponsors, all Republicans, joined Hamadeh, that The American Border Story (TABS) would raise funds for the monument from private sources, and that Aagel families would select a design and an architect.
Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) attended the event alongside Hamadeh and highlighted the disparity between the Biden and Trump administrations’ responses to enforcing immigration law. “They ended the Remain in Mexico policy, restarted catch and release,” he told reporters.
TABS Executive Director Nicole Kiprilov told Fox News, “I’d like to thank President Trump for leading an historic administration that has put these victims and families at the center of our immigration agenda.”
“Secretary Kristi Noem, border czar Tom Homan and the entirety of the Trump administration has been working night and day tirelessly to ensure that our border is secure and that these tragedies that the Biden administration allowed to happen will never happen again,” she added.
The proposal comes amid ongoing debates in Congress over border security, immigration enforcement, and the humanitarian and public safety impacts of illegal immigration. Republicans have repeatedly cited crime victimization as part of the broader argument for stronger border controls and immigration reforms.
Democrats have previously criticized similar proposals, arguing that crime rates among immigrants do not justify singling out a specific category of offenders. The Fox News report notes that the legislation is expected to face opposition as it moves through the legislative process.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Ethan Faverino | Dec 13, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
A group of Republican military veterans in Congress, led by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), has introduced H.Res.932 to denounce what they describe as “dangerous and seditious rhetoric” from six Democratic lawmakers.
The resolution accuses the Democrats of encouraging members of the U.S. military and intelligence community to defy orders from the Commander-in-Chief, potentially violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
The measure, co-sponsored by 27 representatives, including freshman Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08), highlights a video posted on November 18, 2025, in which the targeted Democrats—Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Christopher Deluzio (D-PA), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)—urged service members to resist “illegal” orders.
The resolution argues that such statements, made without evidence of unlawful directives from the Trump administration, undermine the constitutional chain of command and place troops at risk.
“Congressman Hamadeh has joined sixteen fellow military veterans in Congress in condemning the six Democratic legislators who engaged in wildly inappropriate and potentially seditious conduct by encouraging our military and intelligence personnel to defy their commander-in-chief for political purposes,” stated the Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh in a tweet on December 4, 2025.
Rep. Zinke echoed these sentiments in his own announcement: “Today, @RepRickCrawford and I, joined by 16 fellow veteran lawmakers, introduced a resolution condemning the Members of Congress who publicly urged our military and intelligence professionals to refuse orders from the Commander in Chief. By encouraging personnel to independently judge the legality of orders, these individuals are promoting disobedience for political purposes and at the peril of our service members, without being able to point to a single piece of evidence of illegal orders being issued. The U.S. military code is clear on this, and as veterans themselves, they all should have known better.”
The resolution emphasizes core constitutional principles, noting that the President’s role as Commander-in-Chief is enshrined in Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. It also cites UCMJ Article 92, which criminalizes the failure to obey lawful orders, and warns that encouraging insubordination is a federal offense.
The document points out that orders are presumed lawful unless “obviously unlawful,” and criticizes the Democrats for insinuating otherwise without proof.
When pressed for evidence of unlawful orders from President Trump, Senator Slotkin admitted she was “not aware of things that are illegal,” with other participants in the November 18 video making similar concessions.
Despite this lack of proof, the group claimed the Trump administration is “pitting the military and intelligence community against American citizens.”
The resolution concluded with, “The House of Representatives denounces the dangerous and seditious rhetoric spewing from these six Members of Congress that has led to an environment placing troops and their loved ones at risk of harm, compromising and undermining the national security of the United States and the peaceful coexistence and respect deserved by our brave men and women serving in the military and the intelligence community.”
In a follow-up tweet on December 6, 2025, the Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh urged caution: “The Congressman’s Democratic colleagues should be more careful when making incendiary accusations about the conduct of our military and law enforcement personnel. These performative confrontations may be good for their fundraising, but they’re not good for our country.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
