Multiple sources revealed that during the planning of the operation to detain Maduro, the Trump administration deliberately excluded the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, from the core decision-making process. Since last summer, the White House had not involved her in related discussions. When Trump's national security team finalized the details of the operation last week, Haines was unaware. White House officials said that the president wanted to limit the number of people who knew and stated that she "did not need to know." The State Department denied internal divisions, emphasizing that the team was "in sync," but sources said that senior figures such as Rubio were more inclined to keep her at arm's length. Meanwhile, Trump has increasingly relied on the director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, for intelligence briefings. The report pointed out that this arrangement highlights Haines' marginalization during her tenure. She has long opposed foreign military interventions and publicly advocated that the United States should not intervene in Venezuela's affairs. In June, her comments on intelligence assessments regarding Iran also faced public rebuke from Trump. The White House countered that Haines still regularly provided intelligence briefings to the president and participated in analysis support. Vance denied being "excluded," stating that the operation was known only to a small number of cabinet-level officials. Despite this, sources said that the military options surrounding Venezuela were initiated last year, and during this period, the intelligence preparation and personnel deployment did not include the Director of National Intelligence in the core circle, reflecting the fluctuations in the president's trust and the centralization trend of the White House power structure.
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The US military captured the President of Venezuela
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853811979278345/
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