CIA director traveled to Venezuela to meet with country’s acting president
Key Points:
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas to discuss economic collaboration and ensuring Venezuela is not a safe haven for U.S. adversaries, particularly narcotraffickers.
- The meeting coincides with U.S. President Trump's assertion of control over Venezuela, especially its oil production, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
- The Trump administration supports Rodríguez, a Maduro insider, over opposition leader María Corina Machado, based on a classified CIA analysis of the implications of Maduro's removal.
- The CIA played a key role in the operation to capture Maduro by covertly installing a team inside Venezuela to track his movements, including an asset within the Venezuelan government.
- Ratcliffe’s