Trump admits he authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, looking at land attacks in war with cartels

President Donald Trump on Wednesday admitted that he had authorized covert spy operations in Venezuela and said he was looking at possible land attacks on the South American country amid his war with drug cartels.

Trump was asked about reports that he approved a secret CIA operation in Venezuela during a press briefing at the White House, which he confirmed and said it was because they sent criminals into the U.S. and because of drug trafficking.

The president declined to specify what actions the spy agency was authorized to take, including whether they were allowed to "take out" Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, according to NBC News. 

“I authorized for two reasons, really,” Trump said. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. And the other thing are drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela."

The admission comes after Trump directed the Department of War earlier this month to act against drug cartels as though it was in an "armed conflict" with such organizations.

Trump also said he was considering whether to launch land attacks in Venezuela, which could mark an escalation in the conflict after he bombed multiple alleged Venezuelan drug ships.

“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said. “We’ve had a couple of days where there isn’t a boat to be found.”

The president added that his attacks on alleged drug boats have saved countless American lives because they prevented narcotics like fentanyl from reaching the United States.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.