President Donald Trump confirmed that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. While Trump provided no details, the acknowledgment is unprecedented as the CIA usually operates in secrecy.
He made the comment while reporters questioned him during an unrelated press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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Trump justified his decision by saying Venezuela has “emptied their prisons” into the U.S. and that the country is sending “a lot of drugs” to the U.S.
Now, he says he thinks “Venezuela is feeling the heat.”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday said the operations are part of a U.S. policy of aggression, threats and harassment. He called on Trump to stop the CIA from carrying out a “coup.”
Missile strikes in Venezuela
Trump also said he is not ruling out military air strikes inside Venezuela. He has already authorized several strikes against suspected Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean.
“Well, I don’t want to tell you exactly, but 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 news comes just one day after Trump confirmed the U.S. military conducted its fifth deadly strike on a vessel that he said was carrying narcotics.
Since the missile strikes began, Venezuela has accused the administration of ulterior motives, such as trying to unseat Maduro in order to seize the country’s natural resources.
