Trump Confirms CIA Operations in Venezuela
On Wednesday, President Trump seemed to confirm that he has authorized the CIA to conduct operations in Venezuela, heightening the ongoing pressure on authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.
During a press interaction in the Oval Office, when asked why he had authorized a CIA attack in Venezuela, Trump appeared to affirm the decision. He even mentioned considering the possibility of expanding to a “ground” attack.
The President reiterated his stance on illegal immigration, stating, “There are two reasons why I allowed them. Number one, they emptied their prisons and came into the United States, and they came through the border.”
He added, “A lot of drugs are coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of drugs are coming in by sea, but we’re going to stop them from the land as well.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for clarification on these statements.
According to various sources, including the New York Times and CNN, Trump has given the CIA the go-ahead to intensify covert operations in Venezuela, increasing the chances of taking action against Maduro.
While Trump refrained from directly addressing whether the CIA had been granted authority to remove Maduro, he hinted that the maneuvers were meant to apply more pressure on Caracas.
“I think Venezuela is feeling the heat… We’re not going to destroy this country just because other people want chaos to unfold… We’re not letting them in,” he remarked.
“All I can say is this is one of our efforts. We’ve been monitoring the ocean; there’s no one there. If we identify issues, we’ll take action,” he continued.
Recently, the U.S. has bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean, conducting at least five airstrikes against what the government identifies as drug-smuggling speedboats, resulting in about 27 fatalities.
Earlier, Trump sent a notification to Congress declaring that the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which have been classified as foreign terrorist organizations. However, the Democratic Party voiced concerns over this rationale and was unsuccessful in passing a war powers resolution that would have restricted military force.
Reports suggest that Trump’s aides are pushing the U.S. to take more decisive actions in light of Venezuela’s political climate. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also serving as national security adviser, has increased rewards for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction to up to $50 million.
Back in March 2020, Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York on multiple charges, including narcoterrorism and conspiracy related to cocaine trafficking.
