CIA Director John Ratcliffe holds talks with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas
CARACAS, VENEZUELA: CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez for two hours on Thursday, January 15, in what marked the first visit by a Cabinet-level US official since the American operation that removed Nicolás Maduro nearly two weeks ago.
A US official said Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas to “deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship”, CBS News reported. The outreach, however, came with a clear warning about Venezuela’s past ties to criminal networks.
Warning Venezuela against harboring illicit traders
During the closed-door meeting, Ratcliffe stressed that future cooperation depends on a break from illicit activity. A US official said the director warned that Venezuela “can no longer be a safe haven” for black market dealers and other adversaries.
“Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for America’s adversaries,” the official said.
The trip reflected Ratcliffe’s stated intent to take a more forward posture as CIA director. During his confirmation hearings, he pledged to make the agency “less risk-averse” and said that he would not ask personnel to take risks he would not take himself.
Agency views Delcy Rodriguez as a stability anchor
The Caracas visit coincided with President Donald Trump’s meeting in Washington with opposition leader María Corina Machado.
While Trump publicly praised Machado, administration officials viewed Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, as better positioned to maintain near-term stability.
That assessment aligned with a CIA analysis concluding that holdover officials from the previous government would be best placed to prevent immediate disruption if Maduro were removed.
Intelligence assets prepared the ground for capture
The meeting follows disclosures about the CIA’s role in the January 3 operation. A small agency team had been operating inside Venezuela as early as August, using a human source to track Maduro’s movements.
Planning included constructing a replica of Maduro’s compound and mapping his daily routines.
In the early hours of the operation, US forces disabled elements of Venezuela’s air defense network, clearing a corridor for helicopters to reach the target area.
UN experts condemn US abduction operation
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, now face federal charges in New York, including for organized crime and corruption.
At a January 5 court appearance before US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Maduro said, “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty - I’m a decent man,” and asserted that he remained Venezuela’s president.
UN experts have criticized the operation, calling it a “grave, manifest and deliberate violation” of international law and warning it could destabilize the region.
