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Trump to Meet with National Security Team on Venezuela Amid Increased Pressure Campaign
President Donald Trump is set to hold a critical meeting at the White House on Monday evening to discuss next steps in the escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela. Sources familiar with the matter said that key members of Trump’s Cabinet and national security team, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are expected to attend, along with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. ET in the Oval Office, comes as the United States ramps up its efforts against Venezuela with a series of strikes on drug vessels and a growing military presence in the Caribbean. The US military has deployed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops to the region as part of “Operation Southern Spear,” a mission aimed at bolstering pressure on the Venezuelan government.
In addition to the naval operations, Trump announced last week that the US would soon stop Venezuelan drug trafficking by land as well as by sea. Over the weekend, the president issued a broad social media warning to airlines, pilots, and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace. However, Trump downplayed the significance of the announcement when questioned by reporters on Sunday.
Trump also confirmed he had spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by phone, but did not elaborate on the details of the conversation. Last week, the US administration formally designated Maduro and his allies as members of a foreign terrorist organisation, a move that officials believe would expand military options for the US to take action within Venezuela.
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The Oval Office meeting comes as lawmakers raise concerns about the legality of US military strikes on alleged drug vessels in the region, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 80 individuals. These strikes have sparked debate, as the US is not officially at war with Venezuela.
CNN reported last week that the US carried out a follow-up strike on a drug vessel after the initial attack did not kill everyone aboard. The strikes have drawn scrutiny, with lawmakers from both political parties questioning whether they could constitute a “war crime.”
“The law is clear,” Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Monday. “If the facts are, as have been alleged, that there was a second strike specifically to kill the survivors in the water, that’s a stone-cold war crime. It’s also murder.”
King added that Congress would investigate the chain of command, from the Secretary of Defense to those involved in executing the strikes, to understand what orders were given and how they were carried out.
