CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, in Caracas on Thursday, according to a Reuters report citing a US official.
The official said Ratcliffe discussed possible avenues for economic collaboration and made clear it was unacceptable for Venezuela to continue serving as a safe haven for America’s adversaries, particularly narcotraffickers.
The meeting, first reported by the New York Times, comes amid President Donald Trump’s increasing assertion of US control over Venezuela, especially its oil sector, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. Trump has claimed the United States will effectively “run” the country after Maduro’s removal.
Trump has publicly shown support for Rodríguez, a longtime regime insider, over opposition leader María Corina Machado. Machado met with Trump on Thursday and reportedly presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal.
Trump administration officials told lawmakers during a post-capture briefing that Maduro’s removal did not amount to a regime change operation, as the Venezuelan government remains largely intact under Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s deputy.
Sources familiar with the matter said the administration’s decision to back Rodríguez over Machado was influenced by a classified CIA analysis assessing the immediate impact of Maduro no longer being president and the short-term implications of his removal. The intelligence assessment was commissioned by senior policymakers, with the CIA expected to continue providing guidance on Venezuela’s leadership situation.
The CIA also played a key role in the operation that led to Maduro’s capture. In August, the agency covertly deployed a small team inside Venezuela to track Maduro’s movements and routines, helping to support the operation carried out earlier this month. According to sources, one CIA asset operating within the Venezuelan government assisted in pinpointing Maduro’s location.
Ratcliffe’s meeting with Rodríguez was intended to build trust, the US official said, and reflects the CIA director’s push for stronger human intelligence gathering and a less risk-averse approach by the agency.