A classified assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that senior loyalists of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, would be best positioned to maintain stability if the long-time leader were to lose power, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
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The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal that said the assessment was presented to US President Donald Trump and shared with a small group of senior national security officials.
According to the sources, the CIA’s conclusions were among the factors that influenced Trump’s decision to back Rodriguez rather than opposition leader María Corina Machado in the event of a political transition in Caracas.
A classified CIA assessment presented to President Trump concluded that senior Maduro loyalists, including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, were best positioned to maintain stability if the Venezuelan leader lost power, reports Reuters.
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The White House declined to confirm the existence or contents of the CIA report. However, responding to questions, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump is “routinely briefed on domestic political dynamics all over the world” and that his administration is making “realistic decisions” aimed at ensuring Venezuela aligns with US interests and improves conditions for its people.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Monday that she plans to return to the country “as soon as possible,” while sharply criticising the interim leadership in Caracas. Speaking to Fox News from an undisclosed location, Machado rejected Rodriguez as a legitimate leader, accusing her of being “one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, and narcotrafficking.”
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Machado said Rodriguez lacks public support inside Venezuela and claimed the opposition would win overwhelmingly in free and fair elections. “In free and fair elections, we will win by over 90% of the votes,” she said.
She also pledged to dismantle what she described as criminal structures within the state, revive the economy, and transform Venezuela into a major energy hub for the Americas, while encouraging millions of Venezuelans who fled the country to return home.