Mike Pence Says Interim Regime Leader Rodriguez Is 'Not The Right Leader' For Venezuela: 'Move Forward As Quickly As Possible'

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he doesn't believe interim regime leader Delcy Rodriguez is "not the right leader" for Venezuela following the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper, Pence said he believes "it should be the objective of the United States to move forward as quickly as possible to restore basic liberties, to restore free market principles." "Do that through free and fair elections," he added.

The U.S. has not given a timeline for elections in the South American country, with officials saying it is still too soon to start working on a transition.

Pence's criticism follows a recent report by The Associated Press noting that Rodriguez was labeled a "priority target" by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration years before rising to the top of the country's power structure.

The designation, applied in 2022, is reserved for individuals believed to have a "significant impact" on the drug trade. DEA records show the agency began compiling intelligence on Rodríguez as early as 2018, documenting alleged links to drug trafficking, gold smuggling and money laundering networks, including connections to Venezuelan government-linked business figures.

The U.S. government has never publicly accused Rodríguez of criminal wrongdoing, and she is not among the Venezuelan officials formally charged in U.S. drug trafficking cases tied to former president Nicolás Maduro. DEA officials declined to comment to The AP, and Venezuela's communications ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

At the same time, U.S. intelligence officials have described Rodriguez as a pragmatic political figure capable of working with Washington, according to assessments cited after a rare visit to Caracas by C.I.A. Director John Ratcliffe.

According to a U.S. official familiar with the discussions, Ratcliffe was dispatched at Trump's direction to signal interest in an improved working relationship. The talks covered intelligence cooperation, economic stability and preventing Venezuela from becoming a "safe haven for America's adversaries, especially narco-traffickers," the official said.

The engagement reflects deliberations that began last summer, when senior U.S. officials debated how to remove Maduro without triggering instability. Officials told The New York Times that they were wary of repeating the mistakes made in Iraq after the U.S. dismantled state institutions, a move widely blamed for years of insurgency.

As part of those discussions, the C.I.A. produced an early assessment portraying Rodríguez, then vice president, as a negotiator rather than an ideologue. One intelligence report noted that she wore a $15,000 dress to her inauguration, prompting an official to remark that "she is a socialist but the most capitalistic one I've seen."