‘Military options POSSIBLE’ - Shock claims Donald Trump raised plans to ‘INVADE’ Venezuela
DONALD Trump raised the possibility of invading Venezuela on numerous occasions in 2017 despite facing opposition from within his administration, according to a new report.
The US leader held crunch meetings in August 2017 to discuss potential sanctions against Venezuela due to the economic and political unravelling of Nicolas Maduro’s government.
However he reportedly shocked officials including former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former National Security Advisor HR McMaster after asking why the US could not invade the country to overturn the government.
President Trump announced the possibility of a military option for the Venezuelan crisis without first consulting his Cabinet.
Speaking to the press at his New Jersey golf course at Bedminsiter, he said: “We have many options for Venezuela, this is our neighbour.
We have many options for Venezuela including a possible military option if necessary
“We’re all over the world and we have troops all over the world in places that are very very far away, Venezuela is not very far away and the people are suffering and dying.
“We have many options for Venezuela including a possible military option if necessary.”
According to the report, both Mr McCaster and Mr Tillerson tried to dissuade the President from the notion of military action, and argued it would alienate US allies in the region who were otherwise in favour of sanctions against the Maduro regime.
However President Trump did not appear to heed their advice, after he raised the issue of a possible military intervention with the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
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He also questioned Latin American leaders at a private dinner following a UN General Assembly summit.
Speaking to the leaders about a military intervention at the private dinner, President Trump said: “My staff told me not to say this”.
He also reportedly praised the US invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 1980s, and viewed both military operations as a success.
The US administration announced they had refused a call from the Maduro government following President Trump’s attacks.
The Venezuelan Defence Minister, Vladimir Padrino, also criticised President Trump’s statements as an “act of craziness” and “supreme extremism”.
Mr McMaster and Mr Tillerson eventually succeeded in convincing Trump that military action was not the right policy to pursue.
However both officials have since left the White House.