U.S. president Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday, October 15th he had authorized covert CIA action against Venezuela and said he was considering strikes against alleged drug cartels based inside the South American country.
Trump’s comments triggered outrage from leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who decried “coups d’etat orchestrated by the CIA” and ordered military exercises following a fresh U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
Republican Trump declined to comment in detail about a New York Times report that he had secretly approved the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela against Maduro.
“But I authorized for two reasons really,” he said, before accusing Maduro of leading a “narco-terrorist” regime and of releasing prisoners from jails and sending them to the United States.
Asked if he had given the CIA authority to “take out” Maduro, Trump replied: “That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?”
Trump added that he was weighing up whether to expand U.S. military actions against alleged Venezuelan drug cartels to the land after a series of deadly naval strikes on boats.
At least 27 people have been killed in recent U.S. attacks on boats in the Caribbean.
