CNN Analyst Says It’s ‘Absolutely Normal’ for U.S. to Seize Venezuelan Oil Tanker

CNN National Security Analyst and former Trump administration official Beth Sanner said Wednesday’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by the U.S. is “absolutely normal.”

In recent months, President Donald Trump has ordered the bombing of alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The strikes, which are legally dubious and have killed more than 80 people, have primarily targeted vessels of Venezuelan origin. The Trump administration’s pretext for the strikes is that Venezuelan drugs “are killing our people,” as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put it last month. However, Venezuela does not produce fentanyl, which is by far the leading cause of death among Americans who overdose on illicit substances.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. will keep the oil in the tanker.

Hours later on The Lead, Sanner, who served in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in Trump’s first term – when the U.S. tried to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – said the seizure was not a big deal. Host Jake Tapper accused Maduro of election fraud, stating, “It’s not wild for people in the West to think Maduro is not there legitimately.”

“Well, you know, we’ve had sanctions on Venezuelan oil since the first Trump administration,” Sanner said.

“And Biden kept them,” Tapper noted.

“Kept them,” Sanner replied. “So, to me, this is absolutely normal.”

“Seizing an oil tanker?” Tapper reacted.

“Yeah,” Sanner insisted. “We’ve been seizing Iranian oil tankers in the past. We also, according to the law that I’ve read, we can– that oil is up for forfeiture. So we could keep that. We’ve kept Iranian oil in the past. So I actually think that this is less controversial in terms of law and sanctions and what has been, you know, disputed or not disputed, like, I think this is actually a pretty, you know, check the box case.”

Watch above via CNN.