Trump Confirms CIA Covert Operations in Venezuela, Weighs Land Strikes in Expanding Drug War
Key Facts
- Trump confirms CIA covert operations in Venezuela, citing drugs and criminals entering the U.S.
- Authorization may allow lethal action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- U.S. military has destroyed five alleged drug boats, killing 27 people since September.
- Lawmakers warn of escalation toward armed conflict without congressional oversight.
by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela and said he is considering land-based attacks on the South American country as part of his expanding campaign against drug cartels.
Speaking at the White House, Trump acknowledged that he had signed off on a secret CIA operation, following reports first published by The New York Times, and defended the move as necessary to combat both narcotics trafficking and what he described as Venezuela’s export of criminals to the United States.
“I authorized for two reasons, really,” Trump said. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. And the other thing — the drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela.”
COVERT ACTION CONFIRMED
According to administration officials, the authorization — known as a presidential finding — allows the CIA to conduct covert operations that could include paramilitary or lethal activities targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, his regime, and drug traffickers.
When asked if the CIA was empowered to remove Maduro, Trump called it “a ridiculous question” but added, “I think Venezuela is feeling the heat.”
The CIA declined to comment on the president’s remarks.
ESCALATING CAMPAIGN
The admission follows weeks of U.S. military strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean. At least five boats have been destroyed since early September, killing 27 people. Trump claimed the attacks had saved American lives by stopping drugs like fentanyl from reaching U.S. shores.
“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said. “We’ve had a couple of days where there isn’t a boat to be found.”
The administration recently designated Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, allowing the Pentagon to use lethal force under existing counterterrorism authorities.
CONGRESSIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL REBUKE
The move has triggered bipartisan alarm in Congress. “The Trump administration’s authorization of covert CIA action, conducting lethal strikes on boats and hinting at land operations in Venezuela, slides the United States closer to outright conflict with no transparency, oversight, or apparent guardrails,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Two U.S. officials told The Washington Times that the administration has yet to present concrete evidence that the destroyed vessels were carrying narcotics, offering only social media clips posted by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In Caracas, President Maduro denounced the operations as “imperialist aggression” and accused Washington of seeking regime change. “We don’t want war in the Caribbean nor South America,” he said. “How many more coups by the CIA? Latin America doesn’t want them, doesn’t need them, and repudiates them.”
DECADES OF HISTORY
The CIA has a long record of covert operations in Latin America — including involvement in regime changes in Guatemala, Chile, and Nicaragua — though in recent years it has largely focused on intelligence-sharing with regional partners.
Trump’s acknowledgment of current covert activities marks a rare public confirmation of CIA action by a sitting president and signals a potentially major escalation of America’s military footprint in the region — the largest since the Cold War, with guided-missile destroyers, F-35B fighters, Reaper drones, and special operations units already deployed in the Caribbean.
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