Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Thursday defended the Trump administration’s CIA operations in Venezuela to thwart “designated terrorist gangs” that are trafficking drugs by land and sea.
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had authorized the CIA to engage in clandestine operations within Venezuela to undermine Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
In response, Venezuela condemned the covert “CIA coups” within its borders. The South American nation also recently brought complaints against the U.S. military’s actions in the Caribbean region to the United Nations Security Council.
Waltz implied he doesn’t take Venezuela’s grievances seriously, saying Maduro is an “illegitimate” leader because of his 2020 indictment on narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York.
“Venezuela can bring whatever they want to the U.N.,” the ambassador told Fox News’s Fox & Friends on Thursday. “You know what’s also part of the U.N., is Article 51 of the U.N. Charter that enables a country to defend itself, and that’s what President Trump’s doing. He’s going to do it.”
Waltz argued the United States has a right to defend itself against a foreign adversary aiding narco-terrorists. “President Trump is going to do whatever it takes and use all the tools in the toolkit from the intelligence community, from the Department of War, and of course, diplomatically, to defend U.S. sovereignty against actions that are actively killing Americans,” he said.
Waltz added that the Biden administration “ignored” the Western Hemisphere for four years. Now, the Trump administration is taking action to defend its citizens from drug traffickers.
TRUMP VOWS TO STOP VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS BY LAND, APPROVES CIA OPERATIONS
The ambassador’s comments come against the backdrop of U.S. military strikes on alleged drug vessels. The actions have been widely criticized by Democrats and a smaller number of Republicans in Congress. At least five boats have been destroyed since last month, killing at least 27 people.
Following the successful strikes, Trump said he is now looking to pivot toward Venezuelan drug traffickers heading for the U.S. by land.
