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News Topical, Digital Desk : US President Donald Trump made a startling revelation on Wednesday that he has approved covert CIA operations in Venezuela, a move that hints at a US strategy to increase pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The New York Times first reported this secret directive. Trump said the action was necessary because large quantities of drugs from Venezuela were entering the US via sea routes. He claimed that the sea routes were now well controlled and the US was now focusing on land.
'Pressure on Venezuela is increasing'
When Trump was asked why he hadn't used the Coast Guard to intercept suspected drug smuggling boats, he dismissed it as politically correct. He said such efforts had failed. It's worth noting that the US traditionally uses the Coast Guard to intercept sea incursions. Trump stressed that pressure on Venezuela was increasing.
Trump also alleged that Venezuela has allowed a large number of prisoners and people in mental health institutions to enter the US. However, he did not specify which border these people are entering the US.
Was there a plan to remove the Venezuelan president from power?
When Trump was asked whether the CIA had been authorized to "remove" Maduro, he declined to answer the question. Meanwhile, press representatives for Maduro's Information Ministry and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado did not immediately comment on Trump's statements.
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