CIA Chief Visits Venezuela to Confer with Acting President

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Thursday in Caracas, as reported by Reuters citing a US official.

The source noted that Ratcliffe addressed possible economic collaboration and stressed that it was unacceptable for Venezuela to maintain its role as a sanctuary for America’s adversaries, specifically narcotraffickers.

This meeting, initially reported by the New York Times, occurs amidst President Donald Trump’s increasing assertion of US control over Venezuela, particularly regarding its oil resources, following Nicolás Maduro's apprehension earlier this month. Trump has asserted that the United States will essentially “manage” the nation in the aftermath of Maduro's removal.

President Trump has openly supported Rodríguez, a long-term insider pertaining to the regime, over opposition leader María Corina Machado. During the same day, Machado met with Trump and is said to have presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to him.

Trump administration officials informed lawmakers during a briefing after Maduro's capture that the action did not constitute a regime change, as the Venezuelan government remains largely intact under Rodríguez, who acted as Maduro's deputy.

According to insiders, the decision to favor Rodríguez over Machado was swayed by a classified CIA evaluation that considered the immediate effects of Maduro no longer being in power and the potential short-term consequences of his ousting. This intelligence report was commissioned by senior policymakers, and the CIA is anticipated to continue offering strategic insights regarding Venezuela’s leadership scenario.

The CIA also played a significant role in the operations that led to Maduro’s capture. In August, the agency covertly sent a small unit into Venezuela to monitor Maduro's movements and behavior, which contributed to the mission executed earlier this month. Sources indicate that one CIA asset embedded within the Venezuelan government assisted in determining Maduro’s location.

The official described Ratcliffe’s meeting with Rodríguez as a move to foster trust and indicative of the CIA director’s initiative for enhanced human intelligence collection and a more proactive approach from the agency.