CIA brief warns Maduro allies likely to hold stability after power shift

Machado asserted that Rodriguez is widely 'rejected' by Venezuelan people, public support lies with opposition

A classified CIA assessment presented to US President Donald Trump concluded senior Maduro loyalists, including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, were best positioned to maintain stability if the Venezuelan leader lost power, two sources briefed on the matter said on Monday.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.

Trump was briefed on the report and it was shared with a small group of his senior national security team, the sources said.

The assessment was one reason why Trump decided to back Nicolas Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, instead of opposition leader María Corina Machado, the sources said.

The White House declined to confirm the report.

“President Trump is routinely briefed on domestic political dynamics all over the world. The president and his national security team are making realistic decisions to finally ensure Venezuela aligns with the interests of the United States, and becomes a better country for the Venezuelan people," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response to a query.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado announced on Monday that she plans to return to her country "as soon as possible," while criticising the interim president in Caracas.

Read: Venezuela swears in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president after US seizes Maduro

In her first public remarks since a social media post over the weekend, which followed the US military’s removal of President Nicolas Maduro from power, the Nobel Peace Prize nominee reaffirmed her commitment to return to Venezuela.

"I'm planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible," Machado told Fox News broadcaster Sean Hannity from an undisclosed location.

She openly rejected the country’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, describing her as "one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, and narcotrafficking".

Rodriguez, who has expressed a willingness to cooperate with Washington, had served as Maduro’s vice president.

Read more: Maduro pleads not guilty in NY court

Machado asserted that Rodriguez is widely "rejected" by the Venezuelan people and that public support lies with the opposition.

"In free and fair elections, we will win by over 90% of the votes—I have no doubt about it," she said.

Machado also pledged to "turn Venezuela into the energy hub of the Americas" and to "dismantle all these criminal structures" that have harmed her countrymen, promising to facilitate the return of millions of Venezuelans who were forced to flee.