Trump Authorizes CIA for Covert Actions in Venezuela

The Trump administration has secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.

The Details: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) first reported the news, citing “US officials” as its source. Hours after The Times’ report, Trump said, “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control. We've had a couple of days where there isn't a boat to be found, and I view that as a good thing, not a bad thing.” Trump said, “I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America… And the other thing are drugs.”

For Context: On Tuesday, President Trump said the US killed six who were “trafficking narcotics” in a military strike against a vessel off the coast of Venezuela. The US has killed 27 in five strikes of this kind since September. On October 1, Trump declared the US in a state of “armed conflict” against drug cartels in the Caribbean. In early August, the US offered a $50 million reward for the arrest of President Maduro. In July 2024, Maduro claimed victory in Venezuela’s presidential elections, though over 50 nations, including the US, did not recognize the result. Last week, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

How The Media Covered It: The New York Times wrote that Trump “appeared to be referring to claims by his administration that members of the Tren de Aragua” were sent to the US and added, “The administration has asserted in legal filings that Mr. Maduro controls Tren de Aragua. But an assessment by US intelligence agencies contradicts that conclusion.” It also said, “The CIA’s history of covert action in Latin America and the Caribbean is mixed at best.” Reuters (Center) described the authorization as “the most recent example of Trump's efforts to use US military power in new, and often legally contentious, ways.” Fox News (Right) framed the authorization much less critically and described it as part of “a hard-line approach to address the flow of drugs into the US.”

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