The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, according to current and former US law enforcement officials. As reported by The Associated Press, the directive was meant to avoid upsetting the administration's efforts to stabilise Venezuela after the capture of her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro. A Justice Department spokesperson stated there was never an investigation into her to shut down, though DEA records obtained by The Associated Press show she consistently surfaced on federal law enforcement radar dating to at least 2018. One former official told The Associated Press that "Everybody has been told to stand down" on investigations involving Rodriguez. The former officials, who had been briefed on the development, as well as the current official all spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.
Removing the threat of potential indictment eases pressure on Rodriguez as the Trump administration seeks to work with the acting leader to stabilise Venezuela after Maduro's ouster and open the country to US investment. President Donald Trump praised Rodriguez as a "terrific person" shortly after the US military took Maduro and his wife to New York to face federal narcotics charges. Both have pleaded not guilty. Rodriguez has been recognized as Venezuela's sole head of state, allowing her to re-establish ties with western banks and more freely work with US investors seeking to tap into the world's largest petroleum reserves. In recent months, Rodriguez has hosted ceremonies with a steady stream of American oilmen, including high-profile delegations led by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Trump wrote on social media in early March that "Rodríguez is doing a great job. The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!"
DEA records obtained by The Associated Press show Rodriguez has been on the radar of federal law enforcement dating to at least 2018, with allegations ranging from drug trafficking to gold smuggling. One confidential informant told DEA in early 2021 that Rodriguez was using hotels in the Caribbean resort of Isla Margarita "as a front to launder money." Her name has surfaced in nearly a dozen DEA investigations involving field offices from Paraguay and Ecuador to Phoenix and New York, and she had even been linked to Maduro's alleged bag man, Alex Saab, whom US authorities first arrested in 2020 on money-laundering charges. The DEA had amassed a detailed intelligence file on Rodriguez dating to at least 2018, with several investigations remaining ongoing as recently as this year. Rodriguez deported Saab this month as part of a purge of insider businessmen who are accused of having enriched themselves through corrupt dealings with Maduro. It's unclear in which Miami investigations Rodriguez's name surfaced, with two former officials noting she also came up in meetings with investigators in Tampa tasked with looking into financial crimes in Venezuela during her previous role as Maduro's vice president.
The decision to halt investigations into Rodriguez comes as the Trump administration has similarly tapped the brakes on ongoing federal investigations into Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Former prosecutor Duncan Levin called it "deeply troubling" for federal law enforcement to be told to stand down from legitimate investigations for political reasons. The move represents a shift from the previous Venezuelan playbook characterized by oil blockades, indictments of top leaders, and threats of military intervention, as the US now seeks to pressure other adversaries in Iran and Cuba through similar diplomatic approaches. Rick de la Torre, a former CIA chief of station in Caracas, noted that "There's a shelf life to her utility, however. At some point she will face justice." Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire has demanded the administration explain its favorable treatment of Rodriguez, calling her a "central figure in Nicolás Maduro's repressive regime." She and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent that "Sanctions have been lifted on Ms. Rodríguez without any indication that she has taken concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order."
