WASHINGTON – The U.S. intelligence agency CIA recently advised President Donald Trump that senior figures within the Venezuelan government would be the most capable of maintaining stability after the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper reports that the CIA assessed Venezuela’s opposition as lacking sufficient organizational strength and control to effectively take over the administration of the country during a transition period. Based on that analysis, U.S. intelligence concluded that elements from within the existing power structure stood the best chance of preventing chaos and governing the country in the short term.
Maduro was arrested during a U.S. military operation over the weekend and subsequently transferred to New York. Shortly after his removal, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, a close ally of the ruling party that has governed Venezuela in an authoritarian manner for decades, was sworn in as acting president.
According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. intelligence officials told Trump that Rodríguez was in the strongest position to guide Venezuela through the immediate transition. Reuters noted that it has not been able to independently verify the intelligence assessment described in the report.
Despite his detention, Maduro continues to claim that he remains Venezuela’s legitimate president. At the same time, opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who fled to Spain, released a video message on Sunday in which he also described himself as the rightful president and leader of the South American nation.
The competing claims to power highlight the deep political uncertainty facing Venezuela following the U.S. operation, as international attention remains focused on how the country’s leadership and governance will evolve in the coming days.