Inside the Leaked Audio After Maduro’s Capture (image: X/ delcyrodriguezv)
Newly leaked audio from Venezuela in which Delcy Rodriguez is speaking has shocked the world by claiming that members of the country’s top leadership were given a terrifying ultimatum by US forces shortly after former president Nicolas Maduro was captured by American troops earlier this month.
The recording, which was first reported by La Hora de Venezuela and shared by international media, features Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, speaking in a nearly two-hour meeting held in Venezuela seven days after the US military operation.
As per reports, in the audio, Rodriguez says that after Maduro was taken into custody, US forces gave her and other senior officials a very short deadline. She claimed that “the threats began from the very first minute they kidnapped the president. They gave Diosdado [Cabello], Jorge [Rodriguez] and me 15 minutes to respond, or they would kill us.”
Rodriguez was referring to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who was then president of Venezuela’s legislature. According to her, the group had just 15 minutes to decide whether to meet Washington’s demands or face deadly consequences.
Reports say that the audio also reveals confusion and fear in the aftermath of the raid. Rodriguez said that officials were initially told by US forces that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been assassinated, not kidnapped. She said she and the others responded that they “were ready to share the same fate.”
According to reports, Rodriguez went on to describe how painful it was to take on leadership duties under such pressure, saying it “hurt to have to assume responsibilities in these circumstances.” She said her main goals after the operation were simple “to preserve peace, to rescue our hostages and to preserve political power.”
The recording has not been independently verified, and its authenticity is still unclear. However, it shows how volatile the situation has become in Venezuela’s political landscape since the US military captured Maduro in early January.
Analysts have questioned whether the threat described in the recording was real or part of a political narrative. Historian Margarita Lopez Maya told The Guardian that this could be a story Rodriguez is using to keep her political base united, and suggested that Maduro’s removal likely involved internal complicity within the regime.
US President Donald Trump later praised Rodriguez’s cooperation in some comments, even as Rodriguez maintained that she cooperated only because of “constant threats and blackmail.”
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