Before the covert mission to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro commenced on Friday night, prominent legacy media organizations were already in the loop, as per a recent report.

According to insiders privy to communications between the White House and media entities, the publication Semafor revealed that both the New York Times and Washington Post were informed of the operation just before its initiation.

The exact timing of when these outlets were briefed—whether by mere hours or minutes before the raid—remains undisclosed.

However, these sources indicated that the New York Times and Washington Post, which rank among America’s most influential newspapers, refrained from breaking the story until after the operation had concluded to ensure the safety of U.S. military personnel involved.

By Saturday morning, President Donald Trump, along with senior White House officials, announced the unexpected successful capture of Maduro, which had been executed during the night.

Trump had approved the raid, titled Operation Absolute Resolve, at 10.46pm Friday. 

It was supported by every branch of the US military and involved more than 150 aircraft, according to Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, who detailed the timeline alongside Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday. 

Weather had delayed the operation by a few days, but conditions had cleared enough on Friday night for the president to give the green light. 

Unnamed sources said that the New York Times and the Washington Post learned about the secret operation in Venezuela just before it greenlit by President Donald on Trump Friday night

The operation was a success and remained a secret until Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Trump posted this picture of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima on Saturday

Low-flying aircraft targeted and destroyed military infrastructure, including air defence systems, to make way for helicopters that landed at Maduro’s compound

At least seven blasts were heard as low-flying aircraft targeted and destroyed military infrastructure, including air defence systems, ‘to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area,’ Caine said. 

US forces arrived at Maduro’s compound at 1.01am Eastern Standard Time and took Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, into custody soon after. 

One helicopter was hit during the raid but remained flyable and made it back home safely.

At 3.29am EST, forces had successfully exfiltrated, and Maduro and his wife were placed aboard the USS Iwo Jima for transport to New York, where the Venezuelan President will be tried on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges.

The US president and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the operation and the fact that no US personnel were killed. A Venezuelan official told the New York Times that at least 40 of their people, including military and civilians, had been killed.

‘The coordination, the stealth, the precision, the very long arm of American justice – all on display in the middle of the night,’ Hegseth said.

The stealthy aspect of the raid was upheld by the New York Times’ and Washington Posts’ decisions to withhold their reporting, though there were no legal barriers to do so.

The sources who spoke with Semafor said the White House told the publications that publishing the information could have exposed US personnel to danger as they conducted the operation.

The US president and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the operation and the fact that no US personnel were killed

A Venezuelan official told the New York Times that at least 40 of their people, including military and civilians, had been killed 

Maduro was transported to New York, where he will be tried on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges

The decisions not to report on the operation until it was complete are in line with American journalistic traditions and standards to yield to the government’s request for secrecy in the case of high-stakes national security issues.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon told the Daily Mail: ‘You will need to reach out to the New York Times and Washington Post on their claims.’

The Daily Mail has also reached out to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the White House to confirm the claims of Semafor’s sources. 

The decision not to report on the operation was similar to the actions of American publications last August, when outlets held back on reporting that the US was in the process of a prisoner exchange with Russia. 

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and more than a dozen others were exchanged for Russian prisoners held by the United States and countries throughout Europe. 

Publications did not report on the swap until it was completed in order to avoid derailing the deal. 

But leaks have also characterized a significant part of the news cycle during Trump’s second administration, such as when Hegseth sent sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen on an unsecure Signal group chat. 

The chat inadvertently included the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, who reported that he had seen the messages not meant for his eyes, though he did not detail what was in them.