U.S. Eases Legal Pressure on Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez Amid Warmer Ties

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, according to an exclusive report by the Associated Press.

Current and former U.S. law enforcement officials told AP that prosecutors and investigators were quietly directed to “stand down” from scrutiny involving Rodríguez, a longtime figure of interest to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Although Rodríguez has never been formally charged in the United States, DEA records reportedly showed her name had surfaced in several federal investigations dating back to 2018, including allegations tied to drug trafficking, money laundering, and gold smuggling.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Justice Department denied that there was any active investigation to halt, stating that “there was never an investigation into her to shut down.”

The reported directive comes amid warming relations between Washington and Caracas following the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who is currently facing federal narcotics charges in New York. Rodríguez has since emerged as the U.S.-recognized leader of Venezuela, with the Trump administration easing sanctions and encouraging renewed economic ties with the oil-rich nation.

According to the AP report, the decision to ease pressure on Rodríguez was partly intended to support U.S. efforts to stabilize Venezuela and encourage American investment in the country’s massive petroleum sector.

The move has sparked criticism from some American lawmakers and legal experts, who argue that criminal investigations should not be influenced by political or diplomatic considerations. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Jeanne Shaheen reportedly questioned why sanctions relief and diplomatic recognition were granted without visible democratic