Trump says Venezuela sends US lethal drugs, but data tells different story
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and his top aides have justified lethal military strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats from Venezuela by accusing Venezuela and suspected criminal networks operating on its soil like the Cartel de los Soles of flooding the United States with deadly drugs.
"This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people," Secretary of War (formally Secretary of Defense) Pete Hegseth posted Nov. 13 on X. He said the military mission has been named Operation Southern Spear.
In August, the United States doubled the reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to an unprecedented $50 million over allegations of drug trafficking and links to criminal groups. Attorney General Pam Bondi explained the bounty at the time by accusing Maduro in a video message of being "one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security."
That’s reason enough, Trump and administration officials say, for launching military attacks that have killed at least 87 people in recent months – including two men clinging to wreckage after they survived an initial strike Sept. 2 that killed nine other suspected smugglers. They say it might even warrant an attack on Venezuelan soil, which Trump has implied may be in the offing.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-says-venezuela-sends-us-164027005.html
He wants Venezuela's oil. The drugs are a front.
= new reply since forum marked as read
The part most people (might) read.
Every outlet that is not heavily liberal-slanted (Atlantic, New Yorker, Mother Jones, etc), all their articles make sure to put the regime's side/talking points first in any article that is expressing anything contrary to their slant/talking points, and treat their gaslighting bullshit in the most credulous way possible. The bit taking the opposing view always comes *after* the Trump nut-swinging is out of the way.
BTW, ASSHOLES? In NO CASE where you used the word "SUSPECTED" is the actual, proper term any better than "ALLEGED".
