Mike Pompeo on Trump's Pressure on Maduro and 'Double Tap' Strike Investigations

Pressure on Nicolás Maduro

• 🎯 Nicolás Maduro is described as a narco-terrorist and indicted drug kingpin who has conducted terror and harmed Americans.
• 💡 The United States, under the Trump administration, made legitimate efforts to oust Maduro and change the regime in Venezuela.
• 🚀 The former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hopes President Trump will continue to ratchet up the pressure on Maduro.
• 🚢 Options for increasing pressure include closing airspace over Venezuela and applying economic pressure on its borders, with a show of force from troops and ships in the area.

'Double Tap' Strike Investigation

• ⚠️ A September 2nd strike on alleged narco-terrorists is under congressional review, with critics questioning a reported second strike to eliminate survivors.
• ⚖️ Pompeo states the strike was conducted in self-defense to protect Americans and vital U.S. interests, in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
• ❓ The facts surrounding the strike are described as murky, with a need for a full investigation to determine what happened.
• 🛡️ If individuals are surrendering or can be captured safely without risking U.S. soldiers, killing them is not permitted under the laws of war.
• ✅ However, continuing to prosecute against a target is reasonable if there is a threat and soldiers' lives are endangered, until capture is assured.

Comparison to Obama-Era Strikes

• ✈️ Pompeo draws a parallel to the approximately 580 drone strikes conducted by Barack Obama, including instances of alleged double tap strikes.
• ⚖️ He questions whether former President Obama would be prosecuted for such actions, highlighting the complexity and fact-dependency of these situations.
• ⚔️ The discussion includes the hypothetical scenario of whether Soleimani would have been finished off if he had survived a drone strike, with Pompeo affirming that action would have been taken to prevent him from harming Americans again.