Trump military talk ‘to give Venezuelans hope’

Mike Pompeo, the CIA director, has said that when Donald Trump on Friday raised the prospect of US military action in Venezuela, it was to “give the Venezuelan people hope and opportunity to create a situation where democracy can be restored”.

Mr Pompeo told Fox News that Venezuela “could very much become a risk” to the US if it becomes more chaotic. Mike Pence, the US vicepresident, began a Latin America tour yesterday to coordinate diplomatic action to the crisis in Caracas.