U.S. Officials Weigh Options for Venezuela, as Trump Describes ‘Positive’ Call with Putin by Karen DeYoung – Washington Post
President Trump’s senior national security aides met Friday at the Pentagon to review what acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan called a “comprehensive set of options” for the administration’s next steps in Venezuela.
“This was really a true review and then making sure that we’re all in alignment,” Shanahan told reporters. Asked whether the “options” included U.S. military action, he said, “I’ll leave that to your imagination. We have all options . . . on the table.”
The review follows the collapse this week of a plan by the Venezuelan opposition to force President Nicolás Maduro to cede power to Juan Guaidó, recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Defense officials said the Friday review included a briefing by Adm. Craig Faller, head of the Miami-based Southern Command. It focused, officials said, on discrete options for the U.S. military, including humanitarian assistance and support for civilians, rather than plans for a possible intervention in Venezuela…