So I guess this means we aren’t at war with Venezuela after all? And that the Trump administration is prepared to admit such? And that the president used bogus justification for deporting hundreds to an El Salvadoran prison without due process? And in doing so broke our laws?
Trump invoked the Alien Invasion Act, a war-time power, in mid-March, proclaiming without evidence that Tren de Aragua is perpetrating an “invasion” of the United States “at the direction” of the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
But a secret April 7 assessment by the National Intelligence Council, which reports to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, largely concludes the opposite.
“The Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States,” it says. Rather, it says, the Venezuelan regime, while sometimes tolerating the gang’s activities inside Venezuela, largely views it as a potential security threat.
WaPo reported last month on the existence of the NIC assessment, which represents the views of all 18 U.S. spy agencies and is the most comprehensive accounting to date of any ties between the Maduro regime and Tren de Aragua.
But, continuing the effort to always cover for any WTF decision made by Trump, a spokesperson for Gabbard’s office then vigorously disputed the reporting, saying that Trump took “necessary and historic action” to safeguard American citizens. “Now that America is safer without these terrorists in our cities, deep state actors have resorted to using their propaganda arm to attack the President’s successful policies.”
And instead of playing straight with the public on these findings, Gabbard asked the DOJ to investigate alleged leaks from the intelligence community by people she described as “deep-state criminals.”
The six-page assessment declassified on Monday says that most analysts deem “not credible” intelligence suggesting that Venezuelan regime leaders are directing or enabling Tren de Aragua migration to the United States.
Will Trump soon be proclaiming Victory over Venezuela Day? Maybe with a parade?
The travesty called leadership continues.
P.S. the only Deep State we the people see right now is the Trump administration.