The Trump administration has issued a quiet instruction to federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials. The move is described as part of a broader shift toward warmer relations between the White House and Venezuela, an oil-producing country.
The reporting says it is not clear whether U.S. prosecutors had already identified any specific criminal allegations involving Rodríguez or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson stated that “there was never an investigation into her to shut down.”
Although Rodríguez has not been criminally charged in the United States, records previously obtained by the Associated Press show she has appeared as a target of U.S. federal attention, including Drug Enforcement Administration radar, dating to at least 2018. Both outlets characterize the instruction to pause scrutiny as an attempt to prevent friction while the administration pursues its policy objectives regarding Venezuela.
