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Trump Administration Authorizes Covert CIA Action in Venezuela
According to The New York Times via Julian E. Barnes and Tyler Pager, the Trump administration has secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela.
The Trump administration has secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela, stepping up a campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian leader.
The authorization is the latest step in the Trump administration’s intensifying pressure campaign against Venezuela. The U.S. military has been targeting boats off the Venezuelan coast, killing 27 people, that are transporting drugs. American officials have been clear, privately, that the end goal is to drive Maduro from power.
- The new authority would allow the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela.
- Conduct a range of operations in the Caribbean.
- The agency would be able to take covert action against Maduro or his government either unilaterally or in conjunction with a larger military operation.
Author's summary: Trump administration escalates pressure on Venezuela with covert CIA action.