OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:37 AM – Thursday, October 16, 2025
President Donald Trump has confirmed surfacing reports stating that he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela — without providing specific details on the scope of the operation.
Nonetheless, Trump did say that the authorization stems from two primary concerns: Venezuela’s purported policy of releasing prisoners, including gang members, to migrate to the U.S., exacerbating border security issues, as well as the country’s role as a major hub for drug trafficking — particularly fentanyl and other narcotics entering the U.S. via sea routes.
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, President Trump was questioned about incoming reports that claimed he “authorized the CIA to go into Venezuela,” to which he confirmed that the agency was in fact conducting operations there.
“I authorized for two reasons, really,” Trump responded. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.”
“And the other thing, the drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea. So, you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also,” he continued.
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President Trump stated that the United States is considering potential strikes on Venezuelan territory, following several U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats off the Venezuelan coast in recent weeks.
“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump told reporters. “We’ve had a couple of days where there isn’t a boat to be found.”
President Trump confidently confirmed the success of a covert CIA operation in Venezuela, highlighting his administration’s strong stance against hostile regimes after the New York Times reported on the mission.
The president was asked whether he authorized the CIA to “take out” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, to which he responded: “Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that. That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?”
“I think Venezuela is feeling heat,” Trump added. “But I think a lot of other countries are feeling heat, too.”
In response, Maduro sharply criticized President Trump, accusing him of intentionally escalating tensions to “legitimize regime change with the ultimate goal of appropriating Venezuela’s petroleum resources.”
“No to regime change, which reminds us so much of the endless, failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and so on,” Maduro stated on Wednesday night. “No to CIA-orchestrated coups d’état.”
“Listen to me, no war, yes peace, the people [of the] United States.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil also denounced Trump’s confirmation of CIA covert operations in the country, arguing that the policy amounts to “warmongering.”
“We view with extreme alarm the use of the CIA, as well as the military deployments announced in the Caribbean, which amount to a policy of aggression, threat, and harassment against Venezuela,” Gil stated.
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