Trump Admin: No Plans for Military Strikes in Venezuela Currently

Trump Administration Denies Planning Military Action in Venezuela

Senior officials in the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, assured Congress on Wednesday that there are no current plans to launch military strikes inside Venezuela. The officials also affirmed that there is no legal basis to support such strikes against land targets.

During a classified briefing, members of Congress learned that the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which previously provided legal advice on striking suspected drug trafficking vessels, has not authorized strikes inside Venezuela or any other territory.

Officials clarified that the military execute order initiated in September to combat suspected drug trafficking vessels does not extend to land targets. Information suggests that the existing legal opinion lists 24 Latin America-based cartels and criminal organizations, granting the government authority to take action against them.

However, the Trump administration is seeking a separate legal opinion from the Justice Department to provide the legal basis for launching strikes on ground targets without congressional authorization for the use of military force. No final decision has been made regarding launching an attack inside Venezuela.

"The situation today could very well change tomorrow," said a U.S. official, noting that Trump has not yet decided how to address the Venezuela issue.

Focus on Counter-Narcotics and Intelligence Gathering

The large-scale U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean region, including the imminent deployment of the "Ford" carrier strike group, has raised questions about the U.S.'s intention to strike targets inside Venezuela. However, officials confirmed that these military movements are only intended to support counter-narcotics operations and intelligence gathering.

The Trump administration has so far attempted to avoid involving Congress in its military operations in Latin America. A senior Justice Department official reported last week that the U.S. military does not need congressional approval to continue launching deadly strikes against suspected drug traffickers and that the government is not bound by the War Powers Act, which mandates cooperation with members of Congress.

The U.S. military has carried out 16 known vessel strike operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September, resulting in the deaths of at least 67 people. Government officials acknowledged that they do not necessarily know the specific identity of each person on board the vessels before launching the attacks.

The strikes were based on intelligence that "these vessels are linked to specific drug cartels or criminal organizations." Government officials provided details about the process of identifying and targeting vessels, and discussed the types of intelligence used to link vessels to drug cartels.

Doubts about the Legality of the Strikes

Senator Mark Warner, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed admiration for U.S. intelligence resources, but questioned why deadly force was used against these vessels instead of intercepting them, as the Coast Guard usually does, to obtain evidence of drug trafficking.

For his part, Representative Gregory Meeks, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that he "heard nothing" to make him believe that these strikes are legal. He pointed out that officials did not provide any evidence linking the vessels or passengers to drug trafficking activities.

Government officials have repeatedly asserted that they possess intelligence linking these vessels to drug trafficking activities, but they have not provided many details publicly.

Senator Rubio affirmed that every strike involves a vessel and cargo that has been tracked from the beginning, and that they know its destination, unloading point, and the organizations involved. He added that the process is subject to strict review and that there are many strikes that are abandoned because they do not meet the criteria.