Permanent Intelligence Presence: Washington's Plan for Venezuela After Maduro

Translation by SadaNews: CNN reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the planning, that the CIA is quietly working to establish a permanent U.S. presence in Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump's administration plans to exert its newfound influence over the country's future.

According to the report, as translated by SadaNews, discussions between the CIA and the U.S. Department of State have focused on the form of this presence, both in the short and long term, following the dramatic arrest of former President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.

Sources explained that the State Department will eventually take on the long-term diplomatic role, but the Trump administration relies heavily on the CIA to lead the reintegration process due to the ongoing political transition and the unstable security situation in the country.

CNN quoted one source as saying that the agency aims in the first phase to prepare the conditions for diplomatic efforts, including building relationships with local populations and providing security. The source added that U.S. officials might begin their work from a CIA annex before opening an official embassy, allowing them to conduct informal communications with various factions within the government and the opposition, as well as targeting third parties that may pose a threat, referencing a similar experience of the agency in Ukraine.

A former U.S. official speaking to CNN confirmed that establishing the annex is a top priority, explaining that this step would allow opening channels of communication with Venezuelan intelligence agencies away from traditional diplomatic constraints.

The CIA declined to comment on this information, but CNN noted that the U.S. has a history of sending agency directors or senior officials for sensitive meetings with world leaders, based on intelligence information. In this context, CIA Director John Ratcliffe was the first senior official of the Trump administration to visit Venezuela after the Maduro operation, where he met with interim President Delcy Rodriguez and several military leaders there earlier this month.