The Trump administration has conveyed a warning to Diosdado Cabello, a senior figure in the Venezuelan regime, to help interim President Delcy Rodriguez stay in power or face a similar fate to Nicolas Maduro, captured by U.S. forces and taken to prison last Saturday.
Reuters reported that the administration told Cabello he could be the first one to fall should it decide to take action against the Caracas regime again. The outlet added that officials are concerned that the official, who leads security forces accused of human rights abuses, could derail the interim president as Washington seeks its cooperation, at least temporarily.
However, a source told the outlet, taking out Cabello could catalyze unforeseen consequences, including motivating civilian militias to take the streets and unleash chaos in the country.
Moreover, Brian Naranjo, a former senior U.S. diplomat who served in Venezuela, told the Wall Street Journal that Cabello, along with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, could "very easily take action against her and sideline her immediately." They have been indicted in the U.S. on drug smuggling charges, and the U.S. offers a $25 million reward for information leading to Cabello's arrest and/or conviction and a $15 million reward for Padrino Lopez.
"These are the guys who command people with guns," Naranjo added. "Those are the two guys who control Venezuela right now." The two have so far sided with Rodriguez but it is unclear how events will unfold in the future.
Rodriguez has been backed to take control of the country after the capture of Maduro, partly as a result of a CIA analysis that concluded that regime insiders would be best suited to lead a temporary government should he fall.
The Wall Street Journal noted in another report that the analysis claimed that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, considered the winner of the 2024 election in the country by the U.S., would struggle to overcome resistance from security forces, drug-trafficking networks and political opponents.
In the meantime, the Trump administration has conveyed three main demands to Rodriguez following her rise to power.
Citing a U.S. official familiar with the matter, Politico detailed that the demands are cracking down on drug flows, removing operatives from countries such as Iran and Cuba, and refrain from selling oil to U.S. adversaries.
Administration officers also expect Rodriguez to eventually hold free elections and step down, even if there are no set dates for such events. In fact, President Donald Trump said Venezuela won't have elections in the next 30 days and the country must be "nursed back to health" before they can take place.
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