Trump to hold Venezuela Oval Office meeting amid growing questions about his military moves

CNN President Donald Trump will hold a meeting at the White House on Monday evening about next measures on Venezuela sources familiar with the matter recounted CNN as the administration intensifies its pressure campaign on the country and questions mount about whether the military is exceeding its lawful authority Key members of Trump s Cabinet and national measure club including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend as well as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller The meeting which is expected to take place at p m ET in the Oval Office comes as the United States has increased pressure on Venezuela with strikes on drug vessels and a military asset buildup in the Caribbean The US military has amassed more than a dozen warships and troops in the region as part of what the Pentagon has branded Operation Southern Spear White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented Monday that Trump was meeting with his national guard band on this subject and on multiple matters adding It s part of his responsibility to ensure that peace is ongoing throughout the world The meeting also comes as Trump and his top military bureaucrats are facing growing questions about the legality of the US strikes on alleged drug boats in the region killing more than people The US is not officially in a war with Venezuela and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have reported they plan to examine reports that the US carried out a follow-up strike on a suspected drug vessel after an initial attack did not kill everyone on board The law is clear Maine Sen Angus King an independent narrated CNN on Monday morning If the facts are as have been alleged that there was a second strike specifically to kill the survivors in the water that s a stone-cold war crime It s also murder On Monday Leavitt identified the official who ordered the follow-up strike Adm Frank M Mitch Bradley commander of the US Special Operations Command and declared he was acting well within his authority On September Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes Adm Bradley worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated Leavitt explained Pressed on the legal justification for the strike Leavitt commented it was conducted in self-defense to protect Americans and was carried out in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict Trump narrated reporters Sunday evening that he personally would not have craved a second strike and seemed to cast doubt on the idea Hegseth had ordered it No I don t know that that happened and Pete announced he did not want them he didn t even know what people were talking about Trump communicated reporters on Air Force One So we ll look into it but no I wouldn t have demanded that not a second strike King a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee revealed Congress would seek to interview people up and down the chain of command The question is what order did the secretary of defense give and how was that executed And we re going to be talking to people as I say all the way up up to the top of the chain of command and down to the people that truly triggered that attack he stated Leavitt explained Hegseth had spoken with lawmakers who expressed concerns but she did not specify which ones She generally defended the amount of information the administration has shared with Congress about the escalating campaign There have also been bipartisan briefings to Congress on the Venezuelan strikes There have been a number of document reviews for members of Congress to review the classified DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion and other related documents Leavitt explained And the administration has shown no signs of slowing its activity in the region The president reported last week that the US would be stopping Venezuelan drug trafficking by land in addition to sea very soon Over the weekend the president issued a broad directive on social media warning airlines pilots and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace He explained reporters Sunday however not to read into the announcement Trump also certified he had spoken with Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro over the phone but didn t address what was discussed The administration last week formally designated Maduro and allies of his leadership as members of a foreign terrorist organization a move functionaries argue will give the US expanded military options for striking inside Venezuela GOP Rep Maria Salazar meanwhile explained she felt Trump s announcement that he planned to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hern ndez effectively erasing a major US drug-trafficking conviction sent a mixed message as the administration escalated its campaign against Maduro I would have never done that the Florida Republican stated CNN s Dana Bash Leavitt on Monday defended the move arguing that the former Honduran president s US drug-trafficking conviction was a outcome of Biden-era over-prosecution President Trump has been quite clear in his defense of the United States homeland to stop these illegal narcotics from coming to our borders whether that s by land or by sea Leavitt disclosed He s also made it quite clear that he wants to correct the wrongs of the weaponized Justice Department under the previous administration