President Trump announced on Wednesday that he has authorized the CIA to conduct clandestine operations in Venezuela, including potential strikes against drug cartels. The move comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s government and ongoing U.S. military efforts to interdict alleged drug-carrying vessels.
The announcement follows a U.S. deployment of warships near Venezuela earlier this year, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking. The Trump administration has simultaneously made clear its desire for a change in leadership in Caracas, offering a $50 million reward for the arrest of Maduro.
In an apparent reference to these recent military actions, President Trump stated on Truth Social on Tuesday that he had ordered a lethal strike on a vessel that was “trafficking narcotics,” resulting in the deaths of six individuals he termed “narcoterrorists.”
READ: DOJ Doubles Reward For Nicolás Maduro’s Arrest; $50 Million Now On The Table
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, President Trump emphasized the necessity of these actions.
“We’re not going to let our country be ruined because other people want to drop … their worst” people into the U.S., he said.
The President claimed that drug trafficking attempts by sea are now “very well under control” and indicated that the military’s focus would shift to land operations, adding, “Every boat that we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives.”
When asked by a reporter whether the CIA had the authority to “take out” Maduro, the President responded: “That’s a ridiculous question. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?”
The White House and the CIA did not immediately reply to a Wednesday evening request for comment.
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