WASHINGTON

The Trump administration secretly gave legal authority to the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela as part of an effort to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing multiple US officials familiar with the classified directive.

The authorization, known as a “presidential finding,” allows the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct a range of operations in the Caribbean, according to the report that cited US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The report said the agency could act unilaterally or in conjunction with a larger military operation.

It is not clear whether any missions have been launched under the directive or if it was issued as a contingency measure.

The move comes amid a major US military buildup in the region, with around 10,000 troops deployed, most in Puerto Rico, several Navy warships and a submarine positioned nearby.

Officials told the newspaper that the US military has drawn up plans for potential strikes inside Venezuela.

At least one US military strike in the Caribbean over the last two months targeted Colombian nationals aboard a boat that departed from Colombia, according to CNN on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump reportedly ordered an end to diplomatic talks with Maduro’s government earlier this month after growing frustrated with the Venezuelan leader’s refusal to voluntarily give up power.

The White House and CIA did not comment on the report.

When asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether the CIA had been authorized to assassinate Maduro, Trump declined to answer directly.

“I don’t want to answer a question like that. That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given … wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?” Trump said. “But I think Venezuela is feeling heat, and a lot of other countries are feeling heat too.”

Pressed on why he had authorized the CIA to operate in Venezuela, Trump said he did it for two reasons, claiming Venezuela had “emptied their prisons and mental institutions into the United States” and was responsible for drug trafficking into America.

“They were down and dirty,” he said, adding that “a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea … but we’re going to stop them by land also.”