Trump administration formally designates Venezuela’s Maduro as member of a foreign terrorist organization

CARACAS, Venezuela — The Trump administration could have expanded authority to take action against Venezuela starting Monday, as the U.S. designates Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.

The designation of “Cartel de los Soles,” a phrase that experts say is more a description of allegedly corrupt government officials than an organized crime group, as a foreign terrorist organization will authorize President Donald Trump to impose fresh sanctions targeting Maduro’s assets and infrastructure. It doesn’t, however, explicitly authorize the use of lethal force, according to legal experts.

Still, administration officials have been making the case that the designation — one of the State Department’s most serious counterterr