President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed he had authorized CIA action in Venezuela, and indicated his administration is exploring land strikes inside the South American country.
So, you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also,” Trump added.
Asked what’s next for his administration’s “war” on drug cartels and whether they were considering strikes on land, Trump said they were looking into it.
On Tuesday, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video of another lethal strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela.
The use of lethal of military force against drug boats is unprecedented and raises legal questions.
In addition to confirming that he had given the CIA permission to act in Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration is considering using land strikes inside the South American nation.
When the New York Times first revealed the secret CIA operations, Trump claimed he was unable to provide further details but that he had approved them due to the influx of drugs and migrants from the nation.
“I really gave my approval for two reasons. The first is that they have released their inmates into the United States. As he answered questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Trump stated, “They entered through the, well, they entered through the border.”.
Furthermore, a significant amount of drugs are entering our country from Venezuela, many of which enter through the sea. You can see that, but we’ll also stop them on land,” Trump continued.
It was a “ridiculous” question for Trump to answer when asked if the CIA had the power to “take out” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
But I believe that heat is building in Venezuela. But I believe that many other nations are also experiencing heat. “We will not allow this nation to be destroyed because others wish to do their worst,” Trump declared.
Trump’s remarks Wednesday night were condemned by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, which claimed that the operations amounted to an aggressive, intimidating, and harassing policy against Venezuela.
The statement read, “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects the extravagant statements of the President of the United States, in which he publicly admits having authorized operations in order to act against the peace and stability of Venezuela.”.
It would “raise this complaint” with the UN secretary general and security council, the foreign ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry added, “Similarly, the President of the United States’ statement aims to stigmatize migration from Venezuela and Latin America, fostering xenophobic and dangerous speeches.”.
In response to a question about the future of his administration’s “war” on drug cartels and whether land strikes were being considered, Trump stated that they were investigating the matter.
Since we have the sea under control, the president stated, “Well, I don’t want to tell you exactly, but we are definitely looking at land now.”.
Trump shared a video of another deadly attack on a suspected drug boat from Venezuela on Tuesday, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
since September. 2. The administration claims, without proof, that at least five boats in the Caribbean Sea were transporting drugs to the United States, and Trump has ordered military strikes on them. S. . There are legal concerns with the use of deadly military force against drug boats, which is unprecedented. In order to stop drug shipments, previous administrations have depended on law enforcement.
When Trump was asked how the administration knows that the boats are carrying drugs and drug traffickers during the Oval Office event, he insisted that the administration was certain but offered no proof.
“Because we’ve been doing that for 30 years and it has been totally ineffective,” Trump said in response to a question about why the administration isn’t using the Coast Guard to stop the boats. “..”.
” Their boats are faster. Trump stated, “I mean, some of these boats are world-class speedboats, but they’re not faster than missiles.”.
