Trump authorizes CIA action in Venezuela

Trump’s secret presidential finding, per U.S. officials, greenlights CIA lethal operations targeting Venezuela’s Maduro regime and Caribbean narco-trafficking, bypassing congressional oversight. “We would make the C.I.A. less averse to risk,” said director John Ratcliffe, signaling aggressive covert actions like assassinations or sabotage.

The authorization escalates Trump’s campaign to oust Maduro, deemed a “narcoterrorist” by Rubio, despite disputed U.S. intelligence rejecting claims Maduro controls Tren de Aragua. A $50 million bounty targets Maduro’s arrest for drug trafficking, though legal justifications remain thin, per officials.

[b]U.S.