WASHINGTON (TNND) — There was another deadly attack at sea on Monday, carried out by the U.S. government on a vessel, “engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”
Threats to remove Nicolas Maduro from power appear to be a major part of Trump’s evolving strategy. (TNND)
The tactic has become a familiar one, with 29 known attacks resulting in the deaths of at least 105 people since early September, President Donald Trump and his supporters call “Narco-terrorists.”
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., expressed support.
“I applaud President Trump for trying to bring down this Narco- terrorist state in Venezuela run by Maduro,” he said.
Threats to remove Nicolas Maduro from power appear to be a major part of Trump’s evolving strategy.
Trump: We have a massive armada — the biggest we’ve ever had, and the biggest we’ve ever had in South America. He can do whatever he wants. It’s all right, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’d be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
In the past two weeks, at least two oil tankers coming from Venezuela have been seized by the United States, with President Donald Trump asking on Monday what the United States would do with the oil.
“We’re going to keep it,” Trump said.
In an interview Tuesday with CNN, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said, “We’ve moved from attacking boats that were reportedly carrying drugs to now taking oil tankers and at the end of the day, what you’re seeing is, it’s about enriching Trump and his friends. They’ve already talked to companies about taking this oil,” he said.
Other lawmakers are warning that the major pivot is akin to turning away from more pressing national security threats.
“China is the major national security threat to the United States of America and by assembling this huge armada as Trump describes it, he’s taking pressure off China, which makes it more likely they’ll start a war,” said Rep. Seth Moulton, D, Massachusetts, in an interview with NPR Tuesday.
Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is now weighing in, expressing support for U.S. action and also suggesting that the United states to also help build back Venezuela’s economy.
In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said,
“We can help rebuild what’s been a disastrous set of policies about their economy that’s destroyed their capacity to thrive, which is their oil sector,” he said, adding he wanted big American energy companies like Halliburton and Chevron to be able to “go down to Venezuela, build out an economic capitalist model, which will restore Venezuela to what it was It was a great economy for so long,” he said.
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