Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration deployed three U.S. warships to Venezuela to combat drug cartels and increase pressure on dictator Nicolás Maduro.
- DNI Tulsi Gabbard revoked security clearances for 37 current and former intelligence officials involved in the 2017 "Russiagate" assessment.
Deep Dive
- The Trump administration deployed three Aegis-guided missile destroyers: the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, carrying 4,000 Marines, spy planes, and a submarine, to Venezuelan waters.
- This deployment aims to combat narco-traffickers and curb the flow of cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S., following a March deployment of two destroyers to the Gulf of Mexico.
- White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated the action targets Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. designated a narco-terrorist, and has doubled the reward for his arrest to $50 million following a 2020 federal indictment.
- Maduro reacted by calling the U.S. "mad" and ordered over 4.5 million militia members to support armed forces, declaring no empire would touch Venezuela's "sacred soil."
- An April FBI intelligence assessment warned that key Venezuelan government officials, including the Maduro regime, likely facilitated the migration of TDA gang members directly into the U.S.
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence officials.
- These officials were involved in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) related to the "Russiagate" scandal.
- Gabbard stated that a security clearance is a privilege, not a right, emphasizing intelligence community members must uphold their oath and focus on American safety.
- Her actions followed the declassification of ICA records, which she called a "treasonous conspiracy" by Obama officials to subvert the 2016 election.
- The ICA, guided by James Clapper, John Brennan, and James Comey, reportedly used the Steele dossier despite analyst warnings; a Justice Department grand jury probe is ongoing.