The U.S. raid in Venezuela has drawn fierce rebuke from Dave Lapan, ex-Pentagon press chief and homeland security veteran, who fears it jeopardizes America’s reliability abroad. In a revealing interview, Lapan probed the mission’s elusive motives and shaky legal grounds.
Despite days elapsed, basics remain foggy: drug enforcement, oil seizure, or coup facilitation? Divergent White House explanations clash, breeding widespread bewilderment.
Lapan spotlighted a critical departure from Iraq and Afghanistan precedents—no formal war declaration or congressional nod. Lethal tactics claimed lives and injured U.S. personnel, all covert from lawmakers until postmortem.
He acknowledged tactical wins but rejected the law-enforcement veneer as legally frail. Communication lapses sting hardest: Traditional Pentagon transparency has vanished, supplanted by White House-centric spin that amplifies misinformation.
This breeds peril, questioning the military’s bounds without oversight. Globally, allies in key regions grapple with unease, doubting treaty sanctity.
‘Direct blow to credibility,’ Lapan asserted. ‘Partners ask: Can we count on America? It’s heartbreaking.’
The saga signals deeper woes in U.S. strategy, where ad-hoc operations chip away at influence, demanding reforms to safeguard alliances amid geopolitical flux.