WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday (Oct 15) that he authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in US efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
The New York Times first reported the classified directive, citing US officials familiar with the decision, saying the Trump administration’s Venezuela strategy aims to remove Maduro from power. The administration has offered US$50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.
Trump said he authorised the action because large amounts of drugs were entering the United States from Venezuela, much of it trafficked by sea.
“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said.
TRUMP: VENEZUELA “FEELING HEAT”
He has repeatedly accused Venezuela of being a hub for trafficking of the deadly drug fentanyl, but US records have shown that Mexico is the main source of fentanyl.
Trump was asked by a reporter why he did not have the Coast Guard stop suspected drug trafficking boats, which has been US practice for decades. Trump called such efforts “politically correct” and said they had not worked.
Trump declined to answer when asked if the CIA has the authority to execute Maduro, saying, “I think Venezuela is feeling heat.”
Trump has ordered a large US military buildup in the southern Caribbean, and the troops have conducted at least five strikes on vessels the Trump administration has described as involved in drug trafficking, without providing evidence.
