President Trump ordered seven warships carrying 4,500 personnel, including three guided-missile destroyers and at least one attack submarine, to waters off Venezuela. The deployment was presented as an effort to combat drug trafficking. The United States labeled Nicolás Maduro the "fugitive head of [a] drug cartel" and Treasury designated Cartel de los Soles a foreign terror group. Administration officials sought a menu of options and refused to rule out invasion while privately calling an invasion unlikely. The deployment includes roughly 2,200 Marines, a $50 million bounty on Maduro was announced on Aug. 7, and a superseding indictment could be forthcoming.
"fugitive head of [a] drug cartel"
"This is 105% about narco-terrorism, but if Maduro winds up no longer in power, no one will be crying,"
"The president has asked for a menu of options. And ultimately, this is the president's decision about what to do next, but Maduro should be s***ting bricks,"
"Leaving Maduro in power in Venezuela is like making Jeffrey Epstein the head of a daycare."
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