President Donald Trump secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela, U.S. officials told The New York Times.
The move comes as the U.S. military has launched a campaign targeting boats it says are transporting drugs, launching multiple strikes that have killed 27 people.
The authority from the Trump Administration would allow the Central Intelligence Agency to carry out legal operations in Venezuela and throughout the Caribbean, including taking covert action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the Times reported.
Officials told the Times the goal is to depose Maduro.
While meeting with reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump confirmed he had authorized the CIA to go into Venezuela.
"They have emptied their prisons into the United States of America," Trump said. "They came in through the border.
"They have allowed thousands and thousands of prisoners, people from mental institutions, insane asylums emptied out into the United States," Trump continued. They are the worst abuser."
Trump also said a lot of drugs have come into the United States through Venezuela.
"A lot of Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, but we're gonna stop them by land also," Trump said.
There are 10,000 American troops stationed in the Caribbean, along with Marines on amphibious assault ships, the Times reported.
Trump had previously ordered an end to diplomatic talks with Maduro's government after the Venezuelan leader refused to give up power and insisted his administration had no role in drug trafficking.
The Trump administration has called Maduro a "narcoterrorist," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Maduro is "illegitimate."
The United States has offered $50 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction on federal drug trafficking charges.
In a memo to Congress that was obtained by The Associated Press, the Trump administration justified the attacks on the ships saying it had "determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations" and that Trump directed the Pentagon to "conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict."
The Trump administration has yet to provide underlying evidence to lawmakers proving that the boats targeted by the U.S. military were in fact carrying narcotics, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Some Republican lawmakers have pressed the White House for details on the legal justification and scope of the operations, while Democrats contend the strikes violate U.S. and international law and risk escalating tensions in the region.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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