Team 47 - Operation Absolute Resolve

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Team 47 - Operation Absolute Resolve
Date: January 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the daring U.S. special operations raid that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Clay Travis, Buck Sexton, and guest David Rutherford (former Navy SEAL) break down the operation, analyze its complexity, and discuss its global implications. They compare it to previous high-profile raids and reflect on what this means for U.S. military strategy, American power projection, and potential future actions, particularly regarding drug cartels.

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Main Topics and Key Insights

1. Operation to Capture Maduro: Tactical and Strategic Analysis

• Operation Details and Complexity

  • Clay opens by calling it “the most daring special operations raid since the bin Laden raid” (02:48).
  • U.S. Delta Force credited with carrying out the raid, supported by multiple units and joint forces.
  • The raid resulted in Maduro’s capture, reportedly with no U.S. casualties but significant Venezuelan security losses.
  • “They blacked out whole areas of Caracas … that's a cyber capability.” — Clay (09:04)
  • Overwhelming intelligence gathering: “They even knew what pets and what outfits he liked to put on day to day.” — Buck (09:04)
  • Power grid disabled, surface-to-air defense and radars neutralized, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft deployed, and then extraction with “not a single casualty.” (10:02)

• Comparison to Bin Laden Raid

  • Buck: “This was basically what, 10, 20, 30x in terms of the complexity of the moving parts … in one of the most populated cities … to take out Maduro and do it all without a significant impact to the American forces at all.” (07:29)
  • David Rutherford: “The size and scope of [Bin Laden raid] was not probably what, one-tenth the size of this, maybe one-twentieth.” (29:03)
  • All guests and hosts agree this operation surpasses the bin Laden raid in terms of difficulty, coordination, and intelligence.

• Organizational Brilliance and Execution

  • “The operational security was obviously very high… This can go wrong a thousand different ways. And yet they didn’t have a single stumble here.” — Buck (10:02)
  • David Rutherford: “To execute it as flawlessly as they did… it’s like what’s Murphy’s Law? If it’s going to go wrong, it will. And this thing went flawless.” (22:21)

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2. America’s Renewed Power Projection

• Message to World Powers

  • Buck says the raid “sends the message to Iran, to Cuba, to frankly probably Russia,” demonstrating U.S. capabilities. (07:29)
  • David Rutherford: "There are some pipe hitters back in control now and things are going to change." (23:55)
  • Clay: “Democrats will put a $25 million bounty on Maduro's head. Trump will actually go and get him.” (14:36)

• Implications for Adversaries

  • “If you’re a cartel and you’re engaged in any type of drug trafficking that directly impacts American civilians, then guess what? You probably just got put on the JSOC door knock list.” — David Rutherford (34:20)
  • The show highlights how the operation places hostile leaders and criminal organizations on notice across the globe.
  • Buck: “If the US can do this to Venezuela, they can do this to me really easily?” (32:53)

• Contrast with Previous Administrations

  • Rutherford calls the Afghanistan pullout under Biden “probably the worst revelation for any GWOT operator … it was like a dagger through your heart. And so now when we finally see some real pipe hitters go in to project American power…” (23:55)
  • Clay points to the difference: “Democrats will say the things they have to say to seem … serious on national security. Republicans, or at least Trump, will actually do the thing.” (14:36)

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3. Venezuelan and Domestic Political Reactions

• Maduro’s Status and U.S. Action

  • Maduro pled not guilty to drug and weapons charges in U.S. federal court. “I would imagine that his wife will also plead not guilty.” — Clay (12:05)

• Venezuelan Community Reaction

  • Buck highlights local Miami headlines: “After Maduro’s capture, Venezuelans in South Florida dream of going home. Yeah, they know that their country was ruined by this guy.” (16:32)

• Democrat Critiques and Legacy Media

  • Clips of Chuck Schumer criticizing Trump in 2020 for his Venezuela policy, contrasted with current events.

    “He brags about all these things he wants to do or is doing, but his actions belie his words. … He hasn't brought an end to the Maduro regimen.” — Chuck Schumer (17:15)

  • Buck: “It's harder for legacy media to protect their favored people and their favored arguments because the hypocrisy is just staggering." (18:08)

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4. Insider’s Perspective: David Rutherford’s Commentary

• Elite Forces, Training, and Execution

  • Delta Force, Task Force 160 (Night Stalkers), and CIA assets all played key roles.
  • On what it’s like for an operator: “The biggest thing is to remain calm and just relaxed. … They've rehearsed, they know exactly what's going to take place…” — Rutherford (25:54)
  • Night Stalkers praised: “They’re the best pilots I’ve ever seen, I’ve ever worked with. … They put the back gate on an edge as we jumped on board after recon.” (27:16)

• Geopolitical Impact

  • “We are receding the distribution of power in the world and we’re doing it with precision and just absolute perfection." — David Rutherford (27:16)
  • “This is a notice to the world: America is done playing the games of the last administration…” (33:24)

• Potential for Future Operations (Cartels)

  • “If you’re a cartel and engaged in any type of drug trafficking … you probably just got put on the JSOC door knock list.” (34:20)
  • “I think the cartels down there are probably gearing up and starting to realize, hey, this is a different game these guys are playing.” (34:20)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Comment | |-----------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:59 | Clay | “Not a single US casualty in this raid … everything working seamlessly, perfectly together. And Trump is saying we’re in charge.” | | 07:29 | Buck | "This was basically what, 10, 20, 30x in terms of the complexity of the moving parts … in one of the most populated cities in the world, candidly Caracas." | | 10:02 | Buck | "The operational security was obviously very high ... This can go wrong a thousand different ways. Yet they didn't have a single stumble here." | | 14:36 | Clay | "Democrats will put a $25 million bounty on Maduro's head. Trump will actually go and get him." | | 16:32 | Buck | "There are more Venezuelan refugees within twenty minutes drive of where I’m currently sitting than anywhere else in the country." | | 21:39 | Clay | "Talk us through this one. … What's it like to get to the level of room clearing speed and precision that this Delta team had to have…?" | | 22:21 | David Rutherford| "To execute it as flawlessly as they did, I mean, it’s like ... what’s Murphy’s Law? If it’s going to go wrong, it will. And this thing went flawless." | | 23:55 | David Rutherford| “The Afghanistan pullout was probably the worst revelation … so now when we finally see some real pipe hitters go in to project American power …” | | 29:03 | David Rutherford| “The size and scope of [Bin Laden raid] was … one-tenth the size of this, maybe one-twentieth. ... We just went in and snatched a world leader in his sleep and didn’t take one casualty. That just is mind blowing to what our capabilities truly are.” | | 34:20 | David Rutherford| “If you’re a cartel and engaged in any type of drug trafficking … you probably just got put on the JSOC door knock list.” |

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Operation Maduro: Details and Impact: 02:48–13:37
• Comparing Raids: Bin Laden vs Maduro: 07:29–12:05
• Global Implications And Power Projection: 13:37–15:40
• Venezuelan-American Community Responses: 16:32–18:08
• David Rutherford Interview Begins: 21:09
• Elite Training and Operational Details: 22:21–27:16
• Cartel and Future Operations Discussion: 34:05–35:21

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Episode Tone and Style

The conversation mixes expert military analysis with the hosts’ characteristic blend of directness, patriotism, and wit. They maintain an upbeat, sometimes awe-struck tone regarding the special operators’ achievement, while frequently punctuating the discussion with sharp political commentary and criticism, especially toward the Biden administration and Democratic response.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode thoroughly unpacks the recent U.S. special operations mission to capture Nicolás Maduro, treating it as a watershed moment for American military prowess and geopolitical strategy. With exclusive insight from a Navy SEAL, listeners gain a sense of the raid’s unprecedented scale, the elite skills required, and its broader impact—both as a warning to U.S. adversaries and a signal of a new era of American force projection. Important comparisons to past operations, political implications, and community reactions (especially in Venezuelan-American communities) provide a well-rounded view of the event and its fallout.

Transcript

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[Clay]

Man. It all comes down to this.

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[Buck]

The Team 47 podcast is sponsored by.

[Clay]

Good ranchers making the American farm strong again. Team 47 with clay and Buck starts now. The most daring special operations raid since the bin Laden raid occurred in over the weekend. And this has now put Maduro into American custody. We will give you the details of this operation. We will analyze this. The tactical success and the strategic implications are incredible and amazing. Work here reportedly by Delta Force. That's, that's the unit that is getting the credit for this in the media which they're tier one just like SEAL team six. Incredible elite operators but a whole all of the above approach from different units here involved in this. We'll get into this. Some other big stories I might add. Tim Walls is not going to run for reelection in Minnesota which comes on the heels of the massive, massive viral Clay expose of the scale. This multi billion dollar, who knows how many billions of overwhelmingly Somali immigrant fraud in Minnesota which is a big deal and we'll discuss that. We've also got the biggest one year drop in the national homicide rate perhaps ever in 2025, which is something we should talk about with the Trump administration. So we got a bunch of big stories to deal with. Oh and Mamdani in New York, Kami Mamdani, we might hold him tomorrow but he's saying some wild things. I'm very concerned for my beloved Big Apple Clay. Let's though, let's dive into this to take us into this moment here. Trump saying after they seize Maduro, not a single US casualty in this raid involving helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, armada off the coast, intelligence operatives, I mean just everything working seamlessly, perfectly together. And Trump is saying we're in charge. This is cut to play it.

[David Rutherford]

The next question is who's in charge of Venezuela right now. Have you spoken to the newly sworn in president there, Rodriguez and what are your thoughts on the entire situation when you said the US would run Venezuela? We're dealing with the people, we're dealing.

[Clay]

With the people that just got supported. And don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial.

[David Rutherford]

What does that mean?

[Clay]

It means we're in char Clay. I think everybody knows Trump is calling the shots. Trump is in charge. Huge change in Venezuela and this isn't just about Latin America. This is about the Western hemisphere. There are big global implications. Russia, China, this is, this is huge.

[Buck]

I think we can do the whole show today on the Venezuela impact on the Delta Force. Badasses. I think before we even get into the implications, I would imagine that a lot of people are like me and just blown away by the incredible organization and just incredible combat dexterity that was put to, brought to bear in this particular raid. Think about this. We went into Venezuela in the middle of the night and they knew we were coming. I was in the Caribbean for much of the holiday and you would hear constantly planes buzzing. There was this constant discussion about where is the aircraft carrier, where are the American military forces. So it wasn't as if we suddenly went in and there was no pre existing idea that we might be going in. They said that they initially had it scheduled what, four days before and had to change it because of weather. Zero casualties. Now there may have been a couple of people who were wounded, so, but no mortal woundings, no loss of life, no loss of material.

[Clay]

Well, no American casualties. About 80 Venezuelans I think. Civilians, military, that's what they're saying, taken out. Certainly you wouldn't have wanted to be on Maduro's mostly Cuban personal security detail going up against Delta operators who had been training for months on a, on a mockup of exactly the building that they had to go into. You got no chance against those guys.

[Buck]

I thought it was. And I saw you tweet. I think about this more impressive even than when we went and got Osama bin Laden in terms of the moving parts and the requirements involved. You know, the challenge with bin Laden was nobody knew where he was, but the number of people that actually had to go into Pakistan, right about, about, if I remember correctly, in order to be able to get him was relatively small. And the number of people involved in that raid was too. This was basically what, 10, 20, 30x in terms of the complexity of the moving parts going into a, one of the most populated cities in the, in the world, candidly Caracas. And just to take out Maduro and do it all without a significant impact to the American forces at all and to send the message buck to Iran, to Cuba, to frankly probably Russia. Any of these bad actors out there of what we are capable of doing in terms of organizational capacity and just lethality. I, I woke up to it like most people had just said holy crap, what an unbelievable stroke. And there are lots of implications coming from it. But purely from you were involved in the CIA purely from the organizational capacities of this is what. Is there even an analogy of, of, of an excellent and successful raid like this that you could make that that's anywhere near the complexity and success level. I can't even think of one.

[Clay]

No, this, this is, this is something that brought together elements that have never really been used in quite this way before. I mean let's, let's step back. You compare. The only thing that's comparable in our recent memory would be the bin Laden raid and the, the issues that you deal with here. You know, the bin Laden raid, yes, the Pakistani military response was a concern, but bin Laden, now Abbottabad was near a Pakistani military base. But Bin Laden did not have a battalion of Pakistani military around him in charge of his security all day. Bin Laden could not call upon the direction of, of surface to air missile sites. And I mean Maduro did have control of the national military of Venezuela. Yeah, so, so that's, this is a whole level of risk and complexity beyond what you would see in that, in that situation. And, and here's, here's the breakdown that we get. They made Vera Caracas essentially whole areas of it. They blacked it out. So that's a cyber capability. They had mapped out Maduro's day to day movements to the point where it was reported. They even knew what pets and what outfits he liked to put on day to day. I mean that's how close to Maduro they were. So the intelligence gathering success component of this was also tremendous and that, that brings to bear everything human intelligence, you know, sources, individuals, but also what they can pull out of the sky, electronic signals intelligence. So the intelligence gathering was flawless. The operational security was obviously very high on this one. They knew that we were coming for him at some point. Trump had made that pretty clear. But exactly when matters a lot because he can't just hide in a closet forever. Right. So he's got to be able to move around. He was on the largest military base, Maduro was on the largest military base in Caracas. And we managed to take out, so we bring down their power grid. We managed to take out their surface to air missile and radar installation. So we could fly rotary wings that would require fixed wing. We probably did, you know, F35s or something. And then we bring in rotary so modified helicopters. And the 1/60 special op special aviation unit was, you know, the Night Stalkers, famed Night Stalkers, they were involved in this too. So they come in with the rotary aircraft to deploy troops. Our Delta Force who take out without a single casualty. All of the guys assigned to at least that were exchanging gunfire with them do assigned to protect Maduro. We load him and his wife into the hilos and get out of the country without a casualty. Clay, this, this can go wrong. This is the thing. And right. This can go wrong a thousand different ways. And yet they didn't, they didn't have a single stumble here.

[Buck]

Even Buck. It could go wrong with things that aren't brought to bear by Venezuela.

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[Buck]

You could have a helicopter that just has issues. You could have any number of, of errors that don't even have to do with oppositional forces. To have it be this flawless is. I, I mean, I think it's extraordinary. Now, one of the things that now is brought to bear is what is the goal now? So Maduro is going to be. He's pled not guilty to drug and weapons charges. Not a surprise in a Manhattan federal court that has just happened in the last few minutes. Um, there are not cameras, obviously, inside of that courtroom, but everybody is reporting that he has been arraigned and pled not guilty. Uh, I would imagine that his wife will also plead not guilty. Um, we have. Maybe somebody can go back and grab it. Cause we have a transcript. I, I know I said, hey, we should go in, we should take Maduro out. Because there was reaction from some of you when I said a couple of months ago that this was coming and, and I thought it was a good move. Um, now the complexity is going to be how do you start to put in place a situation such that you don't end up with Maduro or something worse. People are asking, obviously, you served there. Is this an example of the Iraq situation? I think the countries are very dissimilar, and I don't think that there is the same concerns there. But those are some of the questions that are arising as we figure out. How exactly does this play out going forward?

[Clay]

Maduro was an illegitimate ruler, ruler who ruined his country. So this is a different thing. Right now. You could say Saddam Hussein was, and he certainly was a brutal dictator and did a lot, a lot of terrible things. But there were a lot of people who looked to him as stability. There were a lot of, I mean, Iraqis, if you were a Sunni Iraqi, and this is. I don't want to get too deep into this. You're a Sunni Iraqi who had been calling the shots. The Sunnis had been. And then the Shia, who are actually the majority of the country, all of a sudden are going to come into power. You get a lot of concerns about where that's going. And those concerns were well founded, as we saw from the civil war that effectively broke out during the US Occupation. In this case, Maduro is a scumbag narco trafficker. And we're saying, and very clearly, and there's been a lot of conversations going on for a while. Can I just also point out, the Biden administration said that Maduro was a narco trafficker.

[Buck]

$45 million on him for anybody who could help him get arrested.

[Clay]

They put a $25 million bounty on his head. But what's so clear here is this disparity, this, this difference between Democrat and Republican. Democrats will say the things they have to say to seem to seem like they are serious on national security. Republicans, or at least Trump will actually do the thing. Yes, they will do the thing. Right. Democrats will say they want to secure the border. They don't. But they will say that Trump will actually do it. Democrats will put a $25 million bounty on Maduro's head. Trump will actually go and get him. Get his head, so to speak. This is, this is so clear for everybody to see. And once again, the opponents of Trump on this one. I want more. Bring more of this. We need more aoc, more mamdani, More international law. What international law says that you can operate a narco state, you can destroy the country. Eight million people fled Venezuela. You can flood our country with drugs. There's no immunity to flood America with drugs. There's no immunity for some scumbag to do this. What are they even talking about?

[Buck]

Well, also they had ready to go, as unfortunately they always do, immediate protests over Maduro being arrested. And the protests, of course, are paid for and the protesters are paid to show up. I mean, it's totally a stage, managed production. But contrasting that with people that have connection to Venezuela, either refugees who have fled Venezuela or people in Venezuela itself overwhelmingly supporting the decision that was made. In fact, where you are right now in Miami is what do we say? 800,000 Venezuelans live in the United States. I remember having this conversation before we left for, for Christmas. And the number one place that is the largest population is around Doral, which is where Trump has the golf course. It's probably the highest population.

[Clay]

That's right. There are more Venezuelan refugees within 20 minute drive of where I'm currently sitting than anywhere else in the country. And Clay, this tells you a lot. Miami Herald headline from the last 24 hours. Miami Herald, very left wing paper. To be clear, after Maduro's capture, Venezuelans in South Florida dream of going home. Yeah, they know. They know that their country was ruined by this guy. And they know that Venezuela is actually a great country with a lot going for it, a lot of resources.

[Buck]

Let me just play this Chuck Schumer was angry at Trump for being too lenient back in 2020. Here's cut 17 flashback how about the hypocrisy?

[Chuck Schumer]

He brags about all these things he wants to do or is doing, but his actions belie his words. Maybe the best metaphor was his claim to bring democracy to Venezuela. There was a big policy there. It flopped. If the policy was working, Juan Guaido wouldn't be in the balcony here, he'd be in Venezuela. He'd be sitting in the president's palace or at least waging a fight to win. He's here and the president brags about his Venezuela policy. Give us a break. He hasn't brought an end to the Maduro regimen. The Maduro regime is more powerful today and more entrenched today than it was when the president began.

[Clay]

He should just say sorry or else he should man the post himself. You know what I'm saying? This guy has got nothing.

[Buck]

I do think this is the continued impact of Elon on Twitter and we'll talk about this some With Tim Walls deciding he's not going to run, it's harder for legacy media to protect their favored people and their favored arguments because the hypocrisy is just staggering.

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[Clay]

Man, it all comes down to this.

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The stakes are high, hopes are higher, and everything is on the line. My goodness, it's win or go home and every moment counts on the road to Super Bowl 60. It's a touchdown Wild Card Weekend powered by Verizon. Tomorrow, Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Visit watch.NFL.com for the full schedule.

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[David Rutherford]

47 with Clay and Buck.

[Clay]

Our friend, our podcast host, our guest host of this program over the holiday where I am told many people are saying you did a fabulous job. Many people I have been told. David Rutherford is with us now. He is a former Navy seal, saw combat in Afghanistan, host of the David Rutherford show on the Clay and Buck Podcast Network, our friend Rut. Happy New Year my friend. Thanks so much for making the time for us.

[David Rutherford]

You are more than welcome gentlemen. Thanks for having me on. And can you believe what a way to kick off 2026 with one of the top five best Ops I've ever seen or heard about.

[Clay]

Yeah, talk us through this one. In terms of the like the difficulty, the precision we know that they had cause it's been reported widely they had a mock up of the actual building and they waited till they knew Maduro be in that building. What what's it like to get to the level of of room clearing speed and precision that this Delta team had to have to get in there heavily armed compound, not a single casualty.

[David Rutherford]

J SOC units in particular Delta cag, the unit, whatever you want to call it, are the best in the world and the precision, speed and accuracy of their movements, there's just nobody else on the planet that can compete with these guys. Now you throw in on top of that, the support units, in terms of TF160 use, the ground branch probably was there. You know, the CIA assets and sources online, the naval personnel, the Air Force, the dia, the intel. This is one of the most complicated operations that could possibly take place. And to execute it as flawlessly as they did, I mean, it's like, you know the deal, Buck, you know, what's Murphy's Law, you know, if it's going to go wrong, it will. And this thing went flawless.

[Buck]

What do you think it says? We were talking earlier. Thanks for guest hosting and everything you're doing as a part of the Clay and Buck podcast network. What does it say? If you just look at the organizational leadership and compare our withdrawal from Afghanistan and you compare it with the tactical brilliance and superiority of the bombings of Iran, when the nuclear sites, and now this with Maduro, what do you think people around the world are saying? What does it reflect upon when it comes to our military and their ability to do things like this compared to under Biden?

[David Rutherford]

Oh, it's night and day. I mean, obviously the Afghanistan pullout was probably the worst revelation for any G wad operator or person who served over there from the intel community wherever. It was like a dagger through your heart. And so now when we finally see some real pipe hitters go in to project, you know, American power and reestablish ourselves as somebody you don't want to mess with around the world, there's nothing more significant as the global power game shifts and that's what's taking place. I mean, the implications of this operation are not just, don't just stop and, you know, as it affects the Monroe Doctrine in Central and South America and the Americas itself, this affects the entire world and puts everybody on notice. Hey, stand by because there are some pipe hitters back in. In control now and things are going to change.

[Clay]

Speaking to David Rutherford, former Navy SEAL and host of the David Rutherford show and the Clay and Buck podcast network. You guys should all go check it out. Dave's going to have some deep dive into the tactics and the strategy implications of what just happened here in Venezuela. And I want, I want to ask you, Dave, about the Cartel Mexico component about this in a second. But first, you've been on whether it's a Blackhawk or a Chinook. I mean, you've been on the, on the Hilo, going in, in your case during the GWAT days, Afghanistan, knowing you're on that, you're on that Bird and you're going after an hvt. Your, your Delta brothers just did this in Venezuela. But what's the, what's going through your mind? Like what's the focus? I mean how do you get ready to put literal boots on the ground and go into a situation where you know, you're going to see combat and the enemy is ready for you and you're going to have to bring all your skills to bear?

[David Rutherford]

That's a great question. And I think the, from all the, you know, guys that I know that were tier one, obviously I was not a tier one operator but did get to suit up and conduct missions. You know, the biggest thing is to remain calm and just relaxed. You know, you've done so many dry runs, you so many rehearsals. You know, these guys are the top of the top, right? They're, they're the elite of the elite. And so it's staying calm, knowing what your role is, staying focused, staying relaxed and not getting spun up as, as any normal human being would. You know, their heart rate would be over, you know, 175, 185 beats per minute. These guys are chilling at 115 beats per minute. They, they're, they've rehearsed, they know exactly what's going to take place and then if something does go wrong, they adapt, assimilate, assess and then continue to kick ass as they did down in Caracas also.

[Clay]

I know I was going to ask you about the cartels, but can you just speak to, and I'm sure my, my, my in laws who have a lot of aviators on that side. There's actually a SEAL Team six guy on that side too, but a lot of aviators on that side. The 1/60, I mean the stuff that I remember seeing a little bit of when I was in the agency that these guys and gals can do is incredible.

[David Rutherford]

They're the best pilots I've, I've ever seen, I've ever worked with. I mean I got picked up on the side of a mountain with like a 2500 foot cliff. They put the back gate on an edge as we jumped on board after recon. You know, I've done an innumerable amount of training stuff with them. They're the batch of, of the best and they just keep getting better. You know I also, to pay tribute to, you know, your, your, your father in law there who just retired, you know, the aviators that conducted the airstrikes as well too to take out the, you know, the air defense capabilities. They were everything was so succinct and so flawless. Like this is the capability of the American military and intelligence community and when employed in the right capacity and it can disrupt the global hegemony as it should. And that's what we're using it for right now. We're, we're receding the distribution of power in the world and we're doing it with precision and just absolute perfection.

[Buck]

David Rutherford with us right now. Encourage you to go sign up for his podcast, part of the Clay and Buck podcast network you mentioned. It's a top five all time operation that you've seen. I'm curious if you could give us, based on the evidence that's out there so far, compare and contrast the difficulty of the Osama bin Laden raid with the capture of Maduro. Both Buck and myself, as nowhere near the experts that you are, said that this seems to be a far more impressive raid even than what went on when Bin Laden was taken out. Is that your impression? How would you compare and contrast these two situations based on your expertise play?

[David Rutherford]

That's, it's a really, you know, unique way to assess it in terms of, you know, the complexity issue. And I think that's the only way. I mean obviously I was in Pakistan with the agency and the lead up in the aftermath of the Bin Laden raid and have a lot of friends that were on the off. But the size and scope of that op was not probably what 110 the size of this, maybe 1 20th the size of this, maybe even smaller. Obviously, obviously the legwork done, you know, in preparation and the hunting of down was unbelievable of bin Laden. But this, in terms of all the intelligence they had to collect, you know, in the weeks or months leading up and then the complexity and coordination of all these different units, you know, no, no shade on, on, you know, bin Laden raid, obviously that's from my generation, unbelievable. But this, this operation is, I mean we just went in and snatched a world leader in his sleep and didn't take one casualty. That just is mind blowing to what our capabilities truly are.

[Clay]

It reminds me a little bit actually Rud of the, I think it's the opening of Air Force One, right? Don't we swoop in, we send in a bunch of guys on, on parachutes and they snatch like the, some bad guy.

[Buck]

They're saying that this is. And some of the people may have watched Rut, you may have watched this building on what Buck's saying, that the Jack Ryan show that now is a part of Amazon prime, that season two is basically this, that this Happens. I have not watched that show, but I've heard a lot of people and they've been reacting and saying, this is basically that show.

[David Rutherford]

I agree. That's one of my favorite seasons of the show. I just, I think, you know, it's always in those first couple seasons, whether it's Homelander or. Or Jack Ryan, like, their, their narratives are so close to reality that it's the truth. And, you know, let's just take a step back and look at Maduro. 45,000 foot, right? The illegal, you know, leader of the. In a, In a. In a compromised election system. You know, the relationship, the alleged relationship that Gary Bernstein and Martin Rodeal point out, and Ralph Pizzulo's incredible book, Stolen Elections. You know, they, they did a ton of human research with the corruption of Venezuela's control over. Alleged control over smartmatic and Dominion. Then you've got the Cartel de Solis and the impact of what they're doing around the world in terms of the international drug flows, illegal arms flows, and illegal oil. Right. The whole oil thing is, I mean, think about if we are able to kind of strangle the oil outflows out of that country, who does that input? What countries? How does it affect their governance? How does it affect their preparation for what they're doing around the world? I mean, this is like one of those major chess moves that it takes, is very complicated to understand the totality of it, but it is one of the most remarkable things that I've ever seen, obviously, in my operational lifetime. And then on a grander context that we've seen in modern geopolitical tactics and initiatives, I mean, you know, you go back, what, 10 years ago, and our South America, Central America, you know, operations in terms of, you know, quelling the rise of socialism, communism, whatever you want to call it, was almost obsolete. And now we're literally writing or changing the global power hegemony with these types of missions in our own hemisphere. Absolutely love it.

[Buck]

Rut, how many countries do you think, based on what you see here, from Venezuela, do you think the United States could go into and grab a leader like this and get out with no casualties? I mean, 95% of the countries in the world, 98%. I mean, if you're Iran or heck, I mean, maybe some of these other countries that have nuclear weapons, like North Korea, are saying this could never happen to us because of that. But don't all those leaders have to be looking around saying, if the US can do this to Venezuela, they can do this to me really easily?

[David Rutherford]

100% clay. And that's, I think that's the posture President Trump and Secretary Hegseth and, you know, Secretary Rubio are saying to everybody, this is a notice. This is a notice to the world. Listen, America is done playing the games of the last administration, the Obama administration, even in some capacity, the Bush administration, right where we're, we're now we're going to be incredibly focused on what we're going to do, have a reason behind it that's going to alter. Right. Like I said, this global hegemony that's been globalist in nature is now back getting back to American superiority.

[Clay]

Rut, what does your operator spidey sense tell you about the possibility of, let's just say, an increased ops tempo against cartels to the south of our border in Mexico?

[David Rutherford]

I'll tell you what, Shine bomb came out. You know, it didn't quite condemn it. You know, gave kind of soft language on it. You know, I believe that she is absolutely quaking in her boots right now. I think the cartels down there are probably, you know, gearing up and starting to realize, hey, this is a different game these guys are playing. They'll probably, probably go underground for a while and get real quiet just to hope it passes by. But I think everybody's on notice. In particular, if you're a cartel and you're engaged in any type of drug trafficking that directly impacts American civilians, then guess what? You probably just got put on the JSOC door knock list, which is a list, I'm telling you, if you're listening to this anywhere around the world. So you never want to be on the J Sock door knock list.

[Buck]

Go follow him. David Rutherford, part of the Clay and Buck Podcast network. Thanks again for guest hosting while we were out. Great feedback on that and enjoy 2026, brother.

[David Rutherford]

Thanks, guys. God bless you. Keep doing what you're doing. You're crushing it.

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