Trump authorizes CIA covert ops in Venezuela with lethal actions

President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, including lethal actions, a classified directive U.S. officials said marks a significant escalation in Washington’s campaign against President Nicolás Maduro. The authorization, known as a presidential finding, gives the CIA broad authority to operate inside Venezuela and elsewhere in the Caribbean, either independently or alongside U.S. military forces, officials said.

U.S. officials familiar with the decision said the finding was approved in recent weeks. It remains unclear whether missions under the new authority are already underway or primarily intended as a contingency. The move comes amid an expanded U.S. military presence in the region and recent strikes at sea that U.S. authorities said targeted vessels transporting narcotics. Officials said at least 27 people have been killed in those operations.

Speaking at the White House, Trump defended the authorization as necessary to stem the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. "I authorised it for two reasons," he said, adding that Venezuelan leaders had emptied prisons...