Former CIA covert operations officer Mike Baker told Newsmax on Thursday that the recent authorization granted to the CIA for activity in Venezuela doesn't necessarily signal imminent military action — but it does mark a serious escalation in U.S. engagement against the Maduro regime.
Baker joined "National Report" to talk about Wednesday's report confirmed by President Donald Trump that he gave the CIA authorization for lethal operations inside Venezuela.
"The authorization that we're talking about ... it covers a broad turf here," Baker said. "But it could just simply mean accessing intelligence — the collection of information on the ground, perhaps as an example. It doesn't necessarily mean you can draw a direct line to say, 'OK, now what they're going to do is' and suddenly we're dropping forces onto the ground."
Baker said the move represents preparation for potential future actions rather than a green light for lethal strikes.
"You're setting the table for potential operations that may benefit this overall effort," he said. "I don't think anybody should read too much into what this means in the short term.
"Look, having said that, there's a $50 million bounty on Nicolás Maduro's head for information leading to his arrest. The horse is out of the barn at this point. I know that the administration has pushed back and said, 'Look, we're not talking about regime change here.'"
Baker added that the U.S. has long "danced around" the issue of narcotrafficking and governance in Latin America — from Venezuela and Ecuador to Honduras — and that such authorizations often reflect the blurred line between anti-narcotics enforcement and covert political operations.
"Whether you're talking about Venezuela, you're talking about Ecuador … whether you're talking about Honduras in the past and currently too, and its ties, the government's ties to narcotrafficking — we've always kind of danced around this issue, the war on drugs," Baker said. "And we've done a variety of things."
Baker told Newsmax that the key issue is maintaining a lawful and transparent framework for any covert or kinetic actions, like sinking the drug boats.
"As long as we're on solid legal ground, that's great. I think I have no problems with the strikes," he said. "Again, I'd like to see a little bit more information put out there about the individual targets, and I think they can do that without revealing sources and methods."
He added that transparency could help the White House fend off political criticism — and highlighted the irony of Democrats suddenly finding themselves defending narco-linked regimes.
"Just so that, if nothing else, the White House isn't constantly taking incoming fire from the Democrats saying, 'I can't believe you're doing this,'" Baker said. "Although it's interesting and entertaining that they've put the Democrats in the position of defending narcotraffickers."
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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