How does Marco Rubio remotely control Venezuela?

Most Venezuelans welcomed Maduro’s downfall, only to watch in disbelief as the Trump administration allied itself with most of Maduro’s core executive officials. Although inflation has declined somewhat, it remains the highest in the world, and the national currency continues to depreciate. Millions of citizens strongly demand new elections—pressuring Rubio to move beyond purely economic deals and push for political change. Investors remain deeply anxious about committing capital to a system that could collapse at any moment. Before the earthquake, Rodríguez had repeatedly requested Rubio grant her greater fiscal autonomy and lift economic sanctions to ease domestic pressure on her government. Rubio expressed understanding of her position, but the U.S. government did not delegate such authority. Rubio’s collaboration with Rodríguez has drawn criticism from some U.S. career diplomats, Venezuelan-American communities, and Trump allies—who are outraged that Maduro’s top confidante now wields real power. Rubio and other officials dismissed these concerns, noting that Rodríguez has carried out nearly every directive issued by the current administration—especially regarding state finances. Venezuela sells most of its oil through the trading firms Tok and Vito, an arrangement established by the Trump administration. Opening Venezuela’s oil industry to foreign investment is a cornerstone of Trump’s vision for the country—and on this issue, Rubio has largely overshadowed Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Rubio prioritizes bringing in new U.S. companies, even at the expense of European oil producers already operating there. Wright’s spokesperson, Ben Ditterich, stated that the Secretary works closely with Rubio and regularly consults with energy industry leaders and Rodríguez. Washington’s control over Venezuela’s economy extends well beyond oil revenues. Rubio’s team drafts licenses granting sanctions exemptions to companies seeking to operate in Venezuela. Rubio has warned the Rodríguez government against commercial dealings with U.S. adversaries. For instance, after Maduro’s fall, Venezuela’s state-owned oil company quietly assumed operational control of oil projects jointly owned with Russia’s state-run Rosneft. Rosneft declined to comment. The Trump administration also successfully pressured Rodríguez to hand over Venezuelans who violated U.S. law. At Washington’s request, the Rodríguez government detained billionaire Alex Saab—Maduro’s friend and business partner—in February, revoked his Venezuelan passport, and approved his extradition to the United States. Some officials believe the Department of Justice intends to use Saab to bolster charges against Maduro, who has been indicted on multiple drug trafficking offenses. According to several informed sources, in June this year, the Rodríguez government assisted the United States in killing a crime syndicate leader long connected to Venezuelan officials. U.S. forces launched a missile strike in a remote southern region of Venezuela, using intelligence provided by officials under Rodríguez, killing Nio Guerrero—one of the leaders of the “La Tren de Aragua” gang. This marks the first military cooperation between the two countries in decades. The Venezuelan government later recovered the gang leader’s body and handed it over to the United States.

Venezuela stirs up trouble again

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) — Alex Saab, a former businessman previously detained in the United States, was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of a joint operation between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities, a U.S. law enforcement official said. The Colombia-born Saab, a close ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was detained in Cape Verde in 2020 and held in the United States for over three years on bribery charges, before being pardoned in exchange for the release of Americans imprisoned in Venezuela. Colombian newspaper El Espectador quoted Saab’s lawyer Luigi Giuliano late Wednesday denying the arrest report as “fake news.” Journalists closely tied to the Venezuelan government also denied Saab’s arrest on social media. Giuliano added in an interview with Venezuelan news site TalCual that Saab might appear publicly to confirm what happened—but he is still negotiating with the government over the details. Jorge Rodríguez, Venezuela’s top legislator, neither denied nor confirmed the reports during an evening press conference, stating the matter fell outside his jurisdiction and that he had no information about any possible arrest. Giuliano did not immediately respond to emails sent to the email address listed on his law firm’s website. A lawyer who represented Saab in U.S. court in December 2023 declined to comment. According to the U.S. official, the 54-year-old Saab is expected to be extradited to the United States in the coming days. This would mark a dramatic development following last month’s capture of Maduro himself in Caracas by U.S. forces—indicating a new level of cooperation between Venezuela’s interim government, led by Delcy Rodríguez (Maduro’s former deputy), and U.S. law enforcement agencies.

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