Graham says Trump has 'all the authority he needs' in Venezuela strikes
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said President Donald Trump will brief lawmakers about military operations in the Caribbean, as the president eyes land strikes against Venezuela next as part of his...
By Fox News · Fox News
Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., said President Donald Trump will brief lawmakers about military operations in the Caribbean, as the president eyes land strikes against Venezuela next as part of his crusade against drugs. Although Trump has said that the at least 10 strikes his administration has launched against alleged drug boats are necessary to put drug traffickers and cartels "on notice," lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been ramping up pressure for additional oversight and evidence supporting the legality of the strikes. Trump is poised to brief them once he returns from his trip to Asia that wraps up Thursday, Graham told "CBS News Sunday Morning." "President Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress when he gets back from Asia about future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia," Graham said. "So, there will be a congressional briefing about a potential expanding from the sea to the land. I support that idea. But I think he has all the authority he needs." SENATORS LOOK TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM ENGAGING IN ‘HOSTILITIES’ IN VENEZUELA Additionally, Trump is ready for Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, to exit leading the country, according to Graham. When asked about whether a regime change was in motion, Graham answered affirmatively. "I think President Trump's made a decision that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug trafficker, that it's time for him to go," Graham said Sunday, "that Venezuela and Colombia have been safe havens for narco terrorists for too long." The Trump administration claims it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, and instead considers him a leader of a drug cartel. In August, the Trump administration increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, blasting him as "one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world." TRUMP SAYS 'WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS' WHEN ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING VENEZUELA AMID RISING TEN…