President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. is now “looking at land” in Venezuela as part of its efforts to crack down on drug cartels.
He also acknowledged that the CIA is authorized to carry out strikes inside the South American country.
Trump made the comments at the White House, one day after the U.S. struck another boat that he said was carrying drugs.
That brought the death toll to 27 across the half-dozen strikes so far.
“We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea under control. We’ve had a couple of days now where there isn’t a boat to be found,” Trump told reporters inside the Oval Office.
Trump was also asked about a New York Times report earlier Wednesday that he had authorized the CIA to carry out operations inside Venezuela.
The Times reported Trump’s order would allow the CIA to conduct lethal operations inside Venezuela.
“I authorized for two reasons, really. No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America, they came in through the border,” Trump said, according to The Hill. “A lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of drugs come in through the sea.
"But we’re going to stop them by land also.”
The ultimate goal is to drive authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro out of power, according to the Times. Trump demurred, however.
“Wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?" Trump said. "But I think Venezuela is feeling heat.
"We’re not going to let our country be ruined because other people want to drop, as you say, their worst ... we’re not going to take them.”
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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