Senator Lindsey Graham said that he believes the US will soon conduct strikes inside Venezuela. He went on to call for the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power.
On Sunday, Graham was asked by “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennet if the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Caribbean was a signal that the US was about to expand to land strikes in Venezuela. “Yeah, I think that’s a real possibility,” the Senator responded.
He continued, “I think President Trump’s made a decision that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug, drug trafficker, that it’s time for him to go, that Venezuela and Colombia have been safe havens for narco-terrorists for too long.”
Graham said he was informed by Trump that he would “brief members of Congress when he gets back from Asia about future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia.”
Over the past two months, the US has bombed at least nine boats alleged to be carrying drugs. Eight of the boats had departed Venezuela and were in the Caribbean when they were hit. One vessel was in the Pacific, traveling from Colombia.
The Department of War has not provided evidence that any of the ships were carrying narcotics. Dozens of people have been killed. One of the two survivors was released by Ecuador after the government found he was not engaging in wrongdoing.
Congress has not given approval for the President to go to war against Venezuela or Colombia. Graham argued that Trump does not need a declaration of war from Congress to send ground troops to Venezuela.
