Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced Sunday that the Trump administration is seriously considering land strikes in Venezuela, a significant escalation in its ongoing military campaign against vessels accused of carrying drugs and cartel members from Venezuela and Colombia.
Speaking on “Face the Nation,” Graham said President Trump has “made a decision” that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, an indicted drug trafficker, “it’s time for him to go.” Graham confirmed the President plans to brief members of Congress upon his return from Asia about “future potential military operations” against the two nations.
The escalation comes after weeks of U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, which have killed at least 43 people across 10 vessels since September 2nd. The Colombian government has formally called on the U.S. to cease the strikes and “respect the norms dictated by international law.”
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President Trump suggested last week that land strikes were “going to be next.”
Graham defended the administration’s authority to act without a Congressional declaration of war, citing past actions like the 1989 Panama invasion. However, the move has drawn sharp criticism. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) called the current maritime strikes “murder” on “Meet the Press,” arguing the President should use the Coast Guard or seek Congressional approval for military force.
Graham countered, stating the actions were “protecting America from being poisoned by narco-terrorists coming from Venezuela and Colombia.”
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