U.S. troops will have a limited role in Venezuela, Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday, after top deputies to President Donald Trump briefed senior congressional leaders on the weekend operation that removed leader Nicolas Maduro from power.

“We don’t expect troops on the ground,” Johnson told reporters after the two-hour evening briefing on Capitol Hill. “We don’t expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the … the interim government to get that going. I expect that there will be an election called in Venezuela. … It should happen in short order.”

The closed-door session was the first time top Trump administration officials briefed a group of lawmakers in person since the surprise Saturday morning raid that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife. Both pleaded not guilty Monday to drug trafficking and other charges in a federal courtroom in Manhattan.

Hours later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine met with top party leaders, as well as the bipartisan leaders of the Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Armed Services and Intelligence committees.

So far, the response to the administration’s actions in Venezuela has largely split along party lines. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters after the meeting that the briefing was “extensive” but it raised “far more questions than it answered.”

“Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague … based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying,” Schumer said.

Schumer added that he asked for “assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries” but didn’t receive any.

Johnson, meanwhile, sought to play down the broader implications of the military raid — and tamp down criticism that Trump and his deputies reneged on pledges not to pursue regime change in Venezuela.

“The way this is being described — this is not a regime change,” Johnson said. “This is a demand for change of behavior by a regime.”

The administration will brief all House members Wednesday, Johnson added. The Senate is also expected to get a briefing for all of its members that day, though that hasn’t been finalized.

In addition to the operation over the weekend, administration officials and lawmakers in the room discussed explosions in Caracas that reportedly took place as the briefing unfolded, according to two people with knowledge of the briefing.

A White House official granted anonymity to comment on the developing situation said the administration is closely tracking the reports of gunfire in Venezuela and that the U.S. is not involved.

House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.), asked about the explosions, said in an interview that the briefers discussed everything “before, during and after” the U.S. operation. He later added, “I think it would be unreasonable to think there aren’t disruptors there,” referencing the governments of Iran, China and Russia.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she had some of her questions answered but added that “there are a significant number of questions that still need to be answered.”

Asked if she believed that the Trump administration is considering similar actions in other countries, she said, “I don’t think that’s clear.”

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), voiced concerns about the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela following Maduro’s ouster.

“The military did its job. It had a plan,” Meeks told reporters. “I don’t like the orders that they were given. But I can’t say the same for the plan after.”

But Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said “we have a lot of professionals running this, and I have confidence.”

Some Republicans said they want more clarity from the administration on its ultimate endgame.

“I’ve got to see what strategy there is,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who did not attend the briefing. “What the president was trying to communicate is hopefully facilitating a peaceful transition of power. We’ll have to wait and see. I don’t know how you do that without boots on the ground. And I don’t support boots on the ground.”

Other lawmakers grumbled not about the overall strategy but about the administration’s decision to brief lawmakers piecemeal instead of all at once. The Republican chair and ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the DOJ and FBI, jointly fumed about being cut out of the initial briefing despite administration officials describing Maduro’s capture as a law enforcement operation.

“This business of coming over and just talking to some of us, I think is a special kind of stupid,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview Monday. “They need to sit down with every member of the Senate and explain what’s going on.”

Calen Razor and Daniella Cheslow contributed to this report.

A nonpartisan Congressional watchdog is alleging that Brandon Phillips, who has served as Rep. Mike Collins’ chief of staff, hired a romantic interest as an office intern and illicitly used his office’s Congressional resources.

The report from the Office of Congressional Conduct, released Monday, also claims the intern “did not perform duties commensurate with her compensation.”

“Based on the foregoing information, the Board finds that there is substantial reason to believe that Mr. Phillips discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges by participating in the retention of an employee with whom Mr. Phillips had a personal relationship,” the report states.

The status of Phillips’ employment with Collins’ office at this point is unclear.

Neither Phillips nor Collins, the Georgia Republican who is currently running for Senate, cooperated with the probe, though Collins’ office, in a statement, disputed the allegations.

“This bogus complaint is a sad attempt to derail one of Georgia’s most effective conservative legislators in Congress,” said a statement from Collins’ office. “Rep. Collins looks forward to providing the House Ethics Committee all factual information and putting these meritless allegations to rest.”

The House Ethics Committee does not comment on ongoing investigations but said it is currently reviewing the allegations against both Collins and Phillips.

The OCC, which fields allegations of misconduct against House members and staff, found evidence the Collins intern was paid thousands of dollars for her duties and appeared to have alternative employment while she remained on the congressional office payroll.

Testimony from individuals who have worked in Collins’ district office said she never “perform[ed] any duties” there, while other people who worked for Collins in Washington said it did not appear that she ever interned for the Capitol Hill office, either.

Some witnesses indicated that they were afraid of potential retaliation from Phillips, according to the OCC; the report cited a Blue Light News story alleging that Phllips kicked a dog.

The report also detailed accusations that Phillips used Congressional funds for “Non-Official Travel-Related Expenses, Including Personal and Campaign-Related Expenses,” but OCC said it could not answer questions definitively about Phillips’ travel without Phillips’ and Collins’ cooperation.

OCC recommended issuing subpoenas to Collins, Philips and the intern, among others.

In a letter published with the report, Russell Duncan, a lawyer for Collins and Phillips, requested that the Ethics Committee vote to dismiss the allegations against his clients. Duncan claimed that the referrals were the result of testimony from “two disgruntled, former members of Congressman Collins staff.”

Duncan also maintained that Phillips’ hiring of the intern was within his discretion, and she “provided valuable assistance to the Office throughout both years regarding communications and other work of the Office.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday blasted the Justice Department for not providing Congress with an unredacted report of political leaders referenced in documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a post on X, Schumer accused the Department of Justice of “lawlessness” as he vowed to “ensure all the files come out.”

“Trump’s DOJ has failed to submit a report to Congress, which is required to include a list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials, without redactions,” Schumer said. “What are they trying to hide?”

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the DOJ released thousands of documents in several waves last month in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, many were heavily redacted and some were deleted from the department’s website after initially being posted. Friday was the deadline for the Justice Department to explain the redactions.

“It’s been 17 DAYS since the Trump DOJ first broke the law and failed to release all the Epstein files,” Schumer said. “It’s been 14 DAYS since Trump’s DOJ released anything at all – with the DOJ doing everything in its power to delay and obfuscate.”

The Justice Department last month said it had uncovered more than a million additional documentspotentially related to Epstein and that it may take “a few more weeks” before all could be released.