Trump Confirms CIA Operations in Venezuela

US President Donald Trump has admitted he authorised the CIA to operate inside Venezuela. The revelation has triggered condemnation from President Nicolás Maduro, who accused Washington of pursuing “CIA-orchestrated coups d’état.”

Trump said he authorised the move for two reasons. He cited claims that Venezuela had “emptied their prisons into the United States” and that “a lot of drugs [are] coming in from Venezuela.”

The confirmation follows a series of US strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean that killed 27 people. UN-appointed experts have described the attacks as “extrajudicial executions.”

Maduro urged peace, saying “no war, yes peace,” and ordered military exercises near Caracas. Venezuela’s foreign minister said the US deployment of warships and fighter jets amounted to “a policy of aggression, threat, and harassment.”

According to the New York Times, the CIA authorisation allows operations in Venezuela either independently or alongside wider US military actions.