Trump Administration Maintains Contact with Venezuelan Official Amid Maduro Ouster

Officials in the Trump administration held discussions with Venezuela’s hard-line Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello months before the January U.S. operation to seize President Nicolas Maduro, and have continued communication with him since the raid, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Cabello, 62, was warned by U.S. officials against using the security services and ruling-party militias under his control to target opposition groups. These forces, which include the intelligence services, police, and the armed forces, remain largely intact following the January 3 operation that removed Maduro from power. Cabello is named in the same U.S. drug-trafficking indictment used to justify the attempt to arrest Maduro, but he was not apprehended in the operation.

The Trump administration’s engagement with Cabello, which also covered sanctions imposed on him and the indictment he faces, began in the early days of the current administration and intensified in the weeks leading up to the raid, sources said. Communication has continued in the aftermath of Maduro’s ouster.

Sources described the contacts as critical to U.S. efforts to manage Venezuela’s political situation. “If Cabello decides to unleash the forces he controls, it could foment the kind of chaos that the Trump administration wants to avoid and threaten interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s grip on power,” one source briefed on U.S. concerns said.

It is unclear whether discussions included questions about Venezuela’s future governance or whether Cabello has adhered to U.S. warnings. Publicly, Cabello has pledged unity with Rodriguez, whom Trump has praised as a key figure for stabilizing the country post-Maduro. While Rodriguez has been seen by U.S. officials as central to their strategy, Cabello is widely viewed as the power broker capable of supporting or undermining those plans.

Cabello has long been considered Venezuela’s second most powerful figure. A former military officer and close aide of the late Hugo Chavez, he has been a loyal enforcer for Maduro and exerts influence over the country’s military and counterintelligence agencies. He has also been linked to pro-government militias, known as colectivos, who have been deployed against protesters.

Cabello is under longstanding U.S. sanctions and has been indicted for his alleged role in the “Cartel de los Soles,” a drug-trafficking network. The U.S. raised the reward for information leading to his capture from $10 million in 2020 to $25 million. Cabello has denied any involvement in drug trafficking.

In the days following Maduro’s removal, he publicly denounced U.S. intervention, declaring that “Venezuela will not surrender.” Media reports indicate that searches at checkpoints by security forces or plainclothes personnel have decreased in recent days. Both the U.S. and Venezuelan governments have stated that some detainees considered political prisoners will be released, though rights groups say progress has been slow, with hundreds still detained.

The White House and the Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the communications with Cabello.