The decision of the president of the United States, , to support the then Venezuelan vice president, , instead of the opposition leader María Corina Machado after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, was based on a classified CIA assessment and in the advice of senior officials such as the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reported The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) y The New York Times.
According to sources familiar with the matter cited by the WSJ, a recent intelligence assessment presented to Trump and a small circle of his Administration concluded that those loyal to the Government were the “best positioned” to lead a provisional government in Caracas and maintain short-term stability.
The analysis determined that key figures of Chavismo, including Rodríguez, who was sworn in as acting president yesterday, could maintain order, while the opposition—led by Machado and Edmundo González, widely considered the real winner of the 2024 elections against Maduro— would have difficulty governing.
He New York Times He adds that, in addition to the intelligence report, Rubio’s position was decisive. The head of US diplomacy argued that supporting the opposition could further destabilize the country and require a more robust US military presence.
The media points out that this turn has put in a difficult situation to Republican congressmen from Florida, like Mario Díaz-Balart, who have been forced to reiterate their support for Machado.
The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, was captured on January 3 with his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas after a United States military intervention and was later transferred to New York.
Maduro and Flores appeared this Monday before a federal court in New York in the first hearing of the judicial process that accuses them of drug trafficking, conspiracy and corruption, charges to which they have pleaded innocent.
