WASHINGTON: A classified CIA assessment presented to US President Donald Trump concluded that senior figures loyal to former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro are best positioned to maintain stability if the leader lost power, two sources briefed on the matter said.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal. They said the assessment identified Maduro loyalists, including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, as the most viable option to ensure continuity in the event of a political transition.
Trump was briefed on the assessment, which was also shared with a small group of senior officials within his national security team, the report added.
According to the sources, cited by The Wall Street Journal, the CIA’s conclusions were one of the reasons Trump decided to back Rodriguez rather than opposition leader María Corina Machado.
The White House declined to formally confirm the report, according to Reuters news agency.
“President Trump is routinely briefed on domestic political dynamics all over the world,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response to a query.
“The president and his national security team are making realistic decisions to finally ensure Venezuela aligns with the interests of the United States, and becomes a better country for the Venezuelan people.”
Venezuela Opposition rejects interim leadership
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado strongly rejected the assessment and criticised Rodriguez, who is serving as interim president in Caracas following Maduro’s removal from power.
Machado said on Monday that she plans to return to Venezuela “as soon as possible”.
In her first public remarks since a social media post over the weekend, which followed the US military’s removal of President Maduro, Machado spoke to Fox News broadcaster Sean Hannity from an undisclosed location.
“I’m planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible,” she said.
Machado described Rodriguez as “one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption and narcotrafficking,” and said she lacked public support.
Rodriguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, has signalled a willingness to cooperate with Washington, according to the report.
Claims of popular support
Machado said Rodriguez was “rejected” by the Venezuelan people and insisted that public backing lay firmly with the opposition.
“In free and fair elections, we will win by over 90 per cent of the votes. I have no doubt about it,” she said.
She also outlined an ambitious vision for the country, pledging to “turn Venezuela into the energy hub of the Americas” and to “dismantle all these criminal structures” that she said have harmed Venezuelans.
Machado promised to facilitate the return of millions of Venezuelans who have been forced to flee the country during years of political and economic crisis.
