President Donald Trump has halted diplomatic outreach to Venezuela, according to U.S. officials cited by The New York Times. CNN separately reported that his administration is relying on a classified Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion that authorizes lethal strikes against a secret list of cartels and suspected traffickers.
The Times reported that the instruction effectively ended talks led by envoy Richard Grenell. It came amid a series of U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean that officials say target narcotics traffickers.
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“I believe in diplomacy,” Grenell said at a Conservative Political Action Committee event in September. “I believe in avoiding war.”
Why it matters
The New York Times wrote that the decision could clear the path for stepped-up military action against drug traffickers or Nicolás Maduro’s government. CNN reported the OLC opinion frames cartels as an imminent threat and permits deadly force beyond groups publicly designated as terrorist organizations.
Both outlets indicate a broadened U.S. posture, even as CNN reported that some Defense Department lawyers and current and former judge advocate general officers have raised concerns about the legality of lethal strikes on suspected traffickers.
What officials say
Trump called Grenell during a meeting and instructed him to stop all diplomatic outreach, including talks with Maduro, U.S. officials told The Times. Last week, the administration said the United States is in a formal “armed conflict” with cartels it has labeled terrorist organizations and that cartel smugglers are “unlawful combatants,” The Times reported.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Oct. 3 that a U.S. strike in international waters near Venezuela killed four men on a boat. Hegseth described the men as “narco-terrorists,” adding, “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”
It was at least the fourth such operation.
What’s next
In comments to The Times, officials who favor diplomacy warned that expanding operations into Venezuela or attempting regime change risks a wider conflict. The Times also reported the Pentagon has developed proposals for potential strikes inside Venezuela, though it remains unclear whether Trump will approve them. Attorney General Pam Bondi is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers will likely press for the OLC opinion and the legal basis for recent strikes.
