White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is taking a leading role in the U.S. airstrikes on Venezuelans acccused of trafficking drugs, upsetting the standard governmental chain of command and expanding his powers in the Trump administration, according to a report from The Guardian.

According to three people familiar with the situation, Miller, as an adviser for the Homeland Security Council, is overseeing the identification, tracking and highly controversial attacks on Venezuelan boats. At times, this role has put Miller’s authority on par with that of the Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio.

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On Sept. 2, the Trump administration announced that a U.S. airstrike destroyed a Venezuelan speedboat, which it claimed without evidence was smuggling drugs

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