U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
Speaking at a press conference alongside senior law enforcement officials, Trump also said his administration is considering land-based military actions inside Venezuela. The remarks come amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas following a series of deadly U.S. strikes on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks.
When asked by a reporter why Trump Authorizes CIA operations in Venezuela referencing a New York Times report Trump replied, “I authorized it for two reasons. Number one, they’ve emptied their prisons into the United States of America.”
He added that Venezuela’s role in drug trafficking was the second factor. “We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela,” Trump said. “A lot of them come in through the sea, but we’re going to stop them by land also.”
Trump Authorizes CIA operations in Venezuela
Trump’s comments mark a significant escalation in his long-running confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a feud that dates back to Trump’s first term. Both nations have recently increased military deployments along the Caribbean, signaling potential confrontation.
In response, the Venezuelan government condemned Trump Authorizes CIA operations in Venezuela, accusing the U.S. of violating international law and the United Nations Charter.
“The purpose of U.S. actions is to legitimize an operation aimed at changing the government of Venezuela, with the ultimate goal of seizing the country’s resources,” Maduro’s administration said in a statement.
Addressing the issue later at a televised meeting of Venezuela’s National Council for Sovereignty and Peace, Maduro criticized the CIA’s history of involvement in global conflicts. “No to regime change that reminds us of the failed eternal wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and others,” he said.
Back in Washington, reporters pressed Trump on whether the CIA had been granted authority to target Maduro directly.
“Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that,” Trump replied. “Not really a ridiculous question but wouldn’t it be ridiculous for me to answer it?”
