Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez "has to say stupid sh-t" to appease her base as the regime continues to work with the Trump administration following the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking to Semafor, Moreno called Rodriguez a "lunatic" but a cooperative one. "At the end of the day, she's doing what we want her to do," he added.
The remark was published as part of a broader article noting that Trump officials continue to be happy with the relations with the interim regime even if Rodriguez strikes an increasingly combative tone in public.
The outlet noted that Rodriguez maintains weekly communication with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and has met with newly-appointed Laura Dogu this week. The visit marked the reopening of diplomatic ties between Washington and Caracas after seven years. Relations had been severed in 2019, when the first Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president. Since then, U.S. policy toward Venezuela had been managed from an external office at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá.
Officials say they will judge the regime based on its actions, not rhetoric, and highlighted the release of some political prisoners, the announcement of an amnesty bill for hundreds more, and the signing of a law overhauling the oil sector.
"She's on a short leash and doesn't have much of a choice to comply," a person close to the White House told the outlet.
Elsewhere, a Wall Street Journal report detailed that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told executives there will be elections in 18 to 24 months. The outlet noted that, however, officials in Venezuela's interim regime are hoping to wait out Trump to stay in power.
Rodriguez, the WSJ added, is looking to outlast Trump's focus by caving on demands that benefit her, like restructuring the oil industry, but slow-walk political concessions that would actually bring about change in the South American country.
"As soon as they think they have the upper hand, they'll tell us to go away," warned Rep. Carlos Rodriguez, a vocal critic of the regime. "They're hoping to wait out Trump, that's why we can't allow that."
Originally published on Latin Times
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