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Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said that Trump has the power to invade Venezuela with US troops as an option that is on the table.

Pompeo Doesn’t Rule Out Trump Sending Troops To Invade Venezuela

Transcript via ABC’s This Week:

KARL: So, you were at the Pentagon going over military options on Friday with the president’s national security team. I know the line that you’ve said, the president has said, everybody has said, all options are on the table. But is a U.S. military invasion of Venezuela really an option?

POMPEO: Oh, make no mistake, we have a full range of options that we’re preparing for. That’s part of what we were doing on Friday, was making sure that when this progresses, and different situation arises, that the president has a full-scale set of options; diplomatic options, political options, options with our allies, and then ultimately, a set of options that would involve use of U.S. military. We’re preparing those for him so that when the situation arises, we’re not flatfooted.

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KARL: Does the president believe that he can intervene militarily without getting congressional authorization?

POMPEO: Yeah, I don’t – I don’t want to speak to that. 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.

Video:

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/PWsqOVOMif pic.twitter.com/4Y0yWeiQzJ — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 5, 2019

An Invasion Of Venezuela Is A Terrible Idea

The one sure thing that Trump could do to strengthen Maduro would be to threaten US military action in Venezuela. Pompeo was soothing Trump’s ego with tough talk, but any US military action is sure to backfire and strengthen Maduro. It is a horrible idea from both a political and policy perspective, so of course, it is likely to be embraced by Trump and some members of his administration.

Should Trump’s political fortunes continue to look like those of a one-termer, he will try to play wartime president and rally the country around him. Even the threat of military action is likely to drive Trump’s poll numbers even lower. Military action in Venezuela is not the answer unless Trump is trying to become a one-term president.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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