Acting Venezeula President Says Maduro Is ‘Innocent,’ Still The ‘Legitimate’ Leader

Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said Wednesday that her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, is “innocent” and remains the “legitimate president” of the country despite his imprisonment in the United States. 

Maduro, who was captured by American special forces last month, is in federal prison in New York awaiting trial for drug trafficking. 

“I can tell you President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president. I will tell you this as a lawyer, that I am. Both President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are both innocent,” Rodríguez, who became acting president of Venezuela after Maduro was taken into custody, told NBC News. 

The Justice Department accuses Maduro of masterminding a decades-long narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracy involving senior Venezuelan officials that allegedly used state power to facilitate large-scale cocaine shipments bound for the United States. Prosecutors say the scheme transformed the government into a criminal enterprise, known as the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns).

“I can tell you I am in charge of the presidency of Venezuela, as it’s stated clearly in the constitution of Venezuela. And from the amount of work that I have, from how busy I am, I can tell you it’s very, very hard work and we’re doing it completely day by day,” Rodríguez said. 

She added that she has been invited to the United States and contemplated making a trip “once we establish this cooperation and we can move forward with everything.”

Last month, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Rodríguez in Caracas to discuss economic cooperation and intensifying efforts against drug trafficking. At the time, an American official told The Daily Wire that the meeting focused on “trust building measures and laying the groundwork for continued communication and room for collaboration between the two governments.”

Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in Venezuela on Wednesday, and he praised Rodríguez.

“She’s delivered information. Everything we know so far has turned out to be true. She’s made enormous positive changes, including already changing the hydrocarbon law in the country in the first few weeks,” he told NBC News. “So I would say that cooperation is off to a tremendous start.”

Wright is in Venezuela to examine the country’s oil industry. He said more than $1 billion in sales of Venezuelan oil had already been made, with another $5 billion expected in the next few months. 

“So the Venezuelans are in charge here in Venezuela, but the United States has enormous leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela — the largest revenue source that funds… the government of Venezuela is now controlled by the United States,” Wright said.