Franco Ordóñez

official confirmed to NPR's Tom Bowman that the CIA struck the dock.

Now, until now, the U.S.

has focused on strikes on boats it claims are trafficking drugs and some oil tankers, but both of those operations have been taking place in international waters.

So this is a really big deal to strike on land.

It's an escalation, but also creates more risks of killing innocent Venezuelans who have nothing to do with any of that stuff.

Right.

I mean, typically when presidents have done this in the past, the so-called gang of eight would be briefed either before or very soon after.

Those are the top senators and House leaders for both parties involved.

You know, it's just another example, though, of how Trump has sought to build his own power while diminishing Congress's power.

I was speaking with John Feeley, who formerly served as ambassador of Panama, and he says Congress seems to be very slowly inching towards more oversight.

One of the things that really surprises me is how the Congress has sort of had two attempts to get a war powers resolution.

They've narrowly failed.

but they keep coming back to it.

And it's almost sort of like a chicken and an egg.

Now, he sees growing frustration among members of Congress, and he points to the congressional hearings about the recent double-tap boat strikes in international waters off the coast of Venezuela that killed survivors of one initial strike.

Yeah, I mean, the MO really has been to seek as much credit on the strikes.

Ambassador Feely also told me that Trump is trying to send a message to Maduro that the U.S.

can get to him anywhere and anytime.

They want to get as much public credit for them.

They want to build momentum to provoke regime collapse.