Congress to investigate allegations of ‘ordering kills’ in Venezuelan boat attack
The Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating an alleged “order to kill” during a military attack on a Venezuelan ship near Trinidad.
Is a U.S. airstrike on Venezuela imminent?
Last weekend, President Donald Trump issued a warning to avoid flying over the South American country. President Trump has already hinted at a ground attack on Venezuela, which is located on the continent’s northern coast.
However, President Trump spoke on Air Force One on Sunday night, Nov. 30, and told reporters not to read too much into the closure of the space.
The move came after President Trump told the U.S. military on Thanksgiving that military operations would soon include ground strikes.
Venezuela condemned President Trump’s comments as a “colonial threat” that violates international law.
At the same time, the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating an alleged “kill order” by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a military attack on a Venezuelan ship near the island of Trinidad. The Trump administration claims it was smuggling illegal drugs.
Mr Hegseth criticized the report as “fabricated, inflammatory and contemptuous”.
USA TODAY previously reported that President Trump, who has defended Hegseth against accusations that he ordered the military to “kill everyone” before the deadly attack, said he would investigate whether the United States carried out a second attack on the boat in the Caribbean.
At the same time, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) appeared on “Meet the Press” on Nov. 30 and said that the Senate Armed Services Administration would hold a hearing on potentially illegal military orders issued by Mr. Hegseth.
But why is President Trump talking about attacking Venezuela? Here’s what you need to know.
Why is Trump talking about attacking Venezuela?
President Trump has said he wants to tackle the domestic illegal drug trade that is killing Americans.
The president said his administration’s latest offensive against a suspected drug smuggling ship that killed dozens of people was aimed at stopping suspected Venezuelan traffickers.
President Trump also said he was targeting human traffickers there.
Since September, the regime is known to have attacked around 20 ships in international waters, including the Caribbean, killing 83 people. The second reported attack on a drug smuggling vessel took place on September 2nd.
Trump administration accuses President Nicolas Maduro of supplying illegal drugs to the US
President Maduro has been named the leader of the Cartel de los Soles, which the U.S. State Department has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
However, Venezuela’s president denied any connection to the illegal drug trade.
President Trump has threatened to escalate attacks on Venezuela, telling “airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human traffickers” over the weekend to consider closing the airspace over and around Venezuela.
The president told reporters on November 30 that he had met with Maduro, but did not say when the meeting took place or what the two men discussed.
Reuters, Philip M. Bailey.
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund
