In the early hours of Jan. 3, shortly after U.S. commandos snatched Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, from his bedroom in a daring nighttime raid, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president. Speaking in Spanish, he told her she faced a choice: work with the United States or experience an escalating attack on her country’s infrastructure, military bases and senior officials. After some negotiation, Rodríguez bent the knee.
In the months since, my colleagues Tyler Pager and Anatoly Kurmanaev report, Rubio has emerged as Venezuela’s de facto viceroy, a kind of heir to the powerful governors who once ruled the domains of the Spanish Empire, including the territory that is now Venezuela.
Rubio has effective control of Venezuela’s finances, its natural resources and its government, Tyler and Anatoly discovered after speaking with a dozen officials in Washington and Caracas. He is closely involved in the day-to-day operations of the country, and he remains in close contact with Rodríguez, who now runs Venezuela on an acting basis with the blessing of the United States.
He has weighed in personally on her governmental appointments, such as the minister of defense. He asserts control over her public appearances and statements. He successfully encouraged her to remove Maduro’s family and business partners from positions of power, and inveighed upon her officials to provide intelligence that allowed the U.S. military to kill one of the leaders of the gang Tren de Aragua. They trade gossip and selfies over text message.
It’s no buddy movie, though. The relationship between Rubio and Rodríguez, the reporters write, “is a manifestation of Trump-era American power, in which the winner takes all regardless of sovereignty and international law.”
Then they illustrated that power in a single, amazing paragraph:
The U.S. Treasury receives the revenue from most of Venezuela’s exports, then disburses it to Venezuela through the country’s banking system, a relationship akin to parents handing out allowances to children. Mr. Rubio and his team set the conditions on what that money can be spent on, and by whom.
Seeking permission
Rubio has said that the Trump administration’s plan for Venezuela has three stages: Recover the economy, stabilize the country and transition it to democracy.
Before last month’s earthquakes, the administration said it was in the second stage, and trying to bring international investment into Venezuela. To move the effort along, senior Trump officials went to Venezuela to meet with Rodríguez’s administration and strike energy and mining deals.
Tyler and Anatoly have a great story about one of those visits. In March, Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, met with Rodríguez at the presidential palace in Caracas. Rubio texted her during the visit to ask how it was going. Very well, she responded.
I’ll let the reporters take it from there:
But the meeting was overshadowed by damaging news. Reuters reported that day that the Justice Department was quietly building a legal case against Ms. Rodríguez.
Ms. Rodríguez’s administration was shocked, and sought clarification from the White House. To allay Ms. Rodríguez’s concerns, Todd Blanche, then the deputy attorney general, called the report “completely FALSE.”
But the Venezuelan government sought further assurances. So the next day Mr. Rubio texted Mr. Rodríguez the link to a social media post from the U.S. president.
“Delcy Rodríguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with U.S. Representatives very well,” Mr. Trump wrote. Ms. Rodríguez was pleased, and wanted to thank Mr. Trump with a post of her own. But first, she shared the draft with Mr. Rubio. She posted it after receiving his approval.
A daring and very explicit article by the NY Times about the real situation nowadays between the US and the new regime in Venezuela, after the kidnaping of its ex-president Maduro, who is still in American custody with his wife with no specific charges or court hearing, received by email and forwarding it through our blog for a better understanding of this comic situation and its ramifications.
As always, my many thanks to all.
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