Trump says he authorised CIA covert operations in Venezuela
Oct 17, 2025
Washington DC [US], October 17: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
Asked by a reporter why he authorized the CIA to go into Venezuela during a press conference in the White House, Trump said that "they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America" and that "we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela." Trump declined to answer when he was asked if the CIA had authority to "take out" Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the US says is involved in international drug trafficking. "Wouldn't it be ridiculous for me to answer," Trump said.
The president went on to say that his administration was considering a crackdown on anti-drug operations on land in addition to the attacks the US military has been conducting on boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean. "A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that, but we're going to stop them by land also," Trump said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
