NEW: The Pentagon appeared to downplay any active planning to directly intervene in Venezuela to topple Maduro, just hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was prepared to take military action to stem the turmoil
WASHINGTON, May 1 - The Pentagon on Wednesday appeared to downplay any active planning to directly intervene in Venezuela to topple President Nicolas Maduro, telling Congress it had not been given orders to prepare for war and stressing support for diplomacy.
U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America, said past planning included preparing for potential non-combatant evacuations and helping deliver U.S. humanitarian aid but stressed that his top focus in the region was building partnerships
"Military action is possible. If that's what's required, that's what the United States will do," Pompeo said on Fox Business Network, even as he reiterated that the United States would prefer a peaceful transition of power. The announcement came as the National Security Council scheduled a meeting for Wednesday afternoon to discuss next steps on the political turmoil in Venezuela.
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