“Any US Action in Venezuela Would be Lawful”: Pompeo Drums up Invasion Option After Failed Coup
As Mike Pompeo prepares to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the crisis in Venezuela, the US secretary of state said bluntly that President Donald Trump has a âfull rangeâ of powers to intervene at will.
Speaking on ABCâs âThis Weekâ on Sunday, Pompeo elaborated on the oft-repeated line that âall options are on the tableâ when it comes to intervening militarily in Venezuela.
“The president has his full range of Article 2 authorities and Iâm very confident that any action we took in Venezuela would be lawful,âPompeo stated when asked if President Trump could intervene in the countryâs power struggle without congressional approval. Article 2 of the US Constitution grants the president the right to declare war and act as commander in chief of the countryâs armed forces.
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NEW: Asked if Trump believes he could intervene militarily in Venezuela without Congress’ approval, Mike Pompeo says, “The president has his full range of Article 2 authorities and I’m very confident that any action we took in Venezuela would be lawful” https://t.co/0VRfgJOgdF pic.twitter.com/ksOrZoTF1M
â ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 5, 2019
Pompeo also warned Russia against supporting its Latin American ally.âThe Russians need to get out,âhe told ABC.âEvery country that is interfering with the Venezuelan peopleâs right to restore their own democracy needs to leave.â
Pompeoâs bold statement comes ahead of a meeting with Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Finland on Monday. The pair are expected to discuss the ongoing crisis in Venezuela on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi.
They already spoke by phone on Wednesday, with Pompeo accusing Moscow of meddling in the country by continuing to support embattled President Nicolas Maduro,and Lavrov accusing Washington of wielding âdestructive influenceâ by backing opposition leader Juan GuaidĂł.
An attempted military coup by the Washington-sponsored Guaido fizzled out last week, and Maduro remains in power in Caracas. Despite President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing that they âfeel the same wayâon Venezuela following a phone call on Friday, talk of military action has not abated.
