Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in his administration’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s regime.US forces have already conducted at least five strikes on suspected drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing 27 people. UN-appointed human rights experts have described the raids as “extrajudicial executions”.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said the US “is looking at land” as it considers further strikes in the region.
Trump has sought to increase pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, who the US and others do not recognise as Venezuela’s rightful leader following disputed elections.According to the New York Times, Trump’s authorisation would allow the CIA to carry out operations in Venezuela unilaterally or as part of any wider US military activity.
It remains unknown whether the CIA is planning operations in Venezuela, or whether those plans are being kept as contingencies.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump was questioned about the New York Times report.
“Why did you authorise the CIA to go into Venezuela?” a reporter asked.
“I authorised for two reasons really,” Trump said in a highly unusual acknowledgement from a US commander-in-chief about a spy agency whose activities are typically shrouded in secrecy.
“Number one, they [Venezuela] have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.”
He added: “And the other thing are drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also.”
Venezuela plays a relatively minor role in the region’s drug trade. The president would not be drawn on whether the CIA’s goal was to topple Maduro, for whom the US has offered a $50m (£37m) bounty.
“Wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?” he said.
