Trump Confirms Report He Authorized CIA Action In Venezuela

President Donald Trump said he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to take covert action in Venezuela, arguing that he had to stem the flow of drugs and illegal migrants into the US.

“I authorized it for two reasons,” Trump said at the White House, adding that Venezuelan leaders had “emptied their prisons in to the United States of America” and “we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela.”

Trump was asked about the issue after the New York Times reported earlier Wednesday that he’d authorized the CIA to take action as part of efforts to ratchet up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. According to the Times, the CIA would be empowered to take action against Maduro or his government, either directly or as part of a broader military operation.

Trump rebuffed a reporter who asked if the CIA has the authority to take out Maduro.

“Wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?” Trump said. “But I think Venezuela is feeling the heat.”

The agency would also be enabled to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct a range of operations in the Caribbean, according to the report. It’s unclear whether the CIA is actively planning operations in Venezuela or whether the authorities have been granted as a contingency, the report said.

The US has already hit a half-dozen boats in the southern Caribbean since the start of September, saying the vessels were transporting drugs to the US. The strikes have added to tensions with Maduro and prompted speculation that the US may be preparing to attack Venezuela on land.

The Trump administration had earlier offered $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, accusing him of “narco-terrorism,” and dispatched warships to the southern Caribbean in August.

Trump recently called off US diplomatic engagement with Venezuela, according to people familiar with the decision, a move that favors Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s more hardline approach and may lead to further escalation.

Trump, at an evening White House reception, told a group of donors backing a new White House ballroom that the US has noticed a decline in boats off the coast of Venezuela since strikes began.

“We had a lot of drugs coming in by water,” Trump said. “That’s stopped.”