Trump authorises CIA covert operations in Venezuela, raising pressure on Maduro

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he authorised the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in US efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

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The New York Times first reported the classified directive, citing US officials familiar with the decision, saying the Trump administration’s Venezuela strategy aims to remove Maduro from power. The administration has offered $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.

The new authority would allow the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct a range of operations in the Caribbean, the Times reported.

Asked why he authorized the CIA to operate in Venezuela, Trump told reporters his reasons were migration of Venezuelans to the United States and drug trafficking.

"I authorised for two reasons really," Trump said. "Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America... they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

"And the other thing are drugs," Trump said. Trump has not provided evidence for his claim that Venezuela is sending former prisoners to the US.