The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid conducting criminal investigations against Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez. This decision signals a warming of relations between the White House and Venezuela, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials.
It remains unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodríguez in any crime or if investigators were moving towards a formal indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson indicated via email that there was never an investigation into her to close.
DEA records obtained by The Associated Press reveal that Rodríguez has been on the radar of federal law enforcement agencies since at least 2018. However, unlike other high-ranking Venezuelan officials, she has never faced criminal charges in the U.S.
The directive to pause scrutiny on Rodríguez aimed not to impede efforts to stabilize Venezuela after the capture of her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro. It is unclear if the White House, which deferred inquiries to the Justice Department, was involved in the decision.
Everyone has been told to stop,
one of the former officials stated. These officials, wanting anonymity, spoke to the AP because they are not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.
Neither Rodríguez, a U.S. lawyer representing her, nor Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication responded to comments requests. The move eases pressure on Rodríguez by removing the threat of a formal indictment, albeit temporarily, as the Trump administration works with her to stabilize Venezuela and open the nation to U.S. investment.
Trump described Rodríguez as a great person shortly after U.S. military forces brought Maduro and his wife to New York to face federal narcotics charges. Both maintain their innocence.
In recent months, the U.S. lifted sanctions against Rodríguez and recognized her as the sole head of state for Venezuela. This recognition allowed her to rebuild connections with Western banks and collaborate freely with U.S. investors aiming to access Venezuela’s oil reserves, the world’s largest.
As relations between the governments have deepened, some view Washington’s tactics for supporting changes in Venezuela — characterized by oil embargoes and formal indictments against top leaders — as a model for driving regime change while the U.S. pressures adversaries like Iran and Cuba.
During Trump’s first term, the White House imposed sanctions on Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly, for undermining Venezuelan democracy and strengthening Maduro’s authoritarian regime.
Rodríguez is praised by Trump on social media: The oil is starting to flow, and it’s lovely to see the professionalism and dedication between both countries.
Recently, Rodríguez has led ceremonies with a steady stream of U.S. oil entrepreneurs, including top-delegation visits led by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Missing from these exchanges of praise is any discussion about elections in Venezuela. Rodríguez has exceeded a 90-day limit set by Venezuela’s supreme court for occupying Maduro’s position temporarily.
When a U.S. journalist asked about the election timeline, Rodríguez replied in English earlier this month, I don’t know. At some point.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has demanded an explanation from the government for its treatment of Rodríguez, whom she referred to as a central figure in Nicolás Maduro’s repressive regime.
In a letter sent last week to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Shaheen, alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren, wrote, Sanctions have been lifted against Mrs. Rodríguez without any indication she has taken concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order.
Rick de la Torre, former CIA station chief in Caracas, said the decision aligns with U.S. foreign policy goals in Venezuela. She’s a lifelong Marxist and was a top leader of one of the most corrupt regimes in the world, but the U.S. is giving oxygen and offering incentives to lay the groundwork for democracy and U.S. investment,
said De la Torre.
However, he warned, Her utility has an expiration date. Eventually, she’ll face justice.
Rodríguez Under DEA’s Radar Since 2018
The DEA compiled detailed intelligence on Rodríguez from as far back as 2018. Reports connected her to activities from drug trafficking to gold smuggling. Earlier this year, a confidential informant informed the DEA that Rodríguez used hotels on Isla Margarita as fronts for money laundering.
She appeared in nearly a dozen ongoing DEA investigations this year, linked to fields ranging from Paraguay to New York. She also has connections to Maduro’s alleged financier, Alex Saab, first arrested by U.S. authorities in 2020 on money laundering charges.
This month, Rodríguez deported Saab as part of purging close businessmen accused of profiting through corrupt dealings with Maduro.
Details on Rodríguez’s involvement in Miami investigations remain unclear. Two former officials mentioned that Rodríguez surfaced in meetings in Tampa with investigators tasked by former Justice Secretary Pam Bondi to examine financial crimes in Venezuela. At the time, Rodríguez was Maduro’s vice president.
Justice Department policy mandates that the Attorney General personally approve charges against foreign heads of state, typically immune from criminal proceedings per international and U.S. law.
Halting Investigations of Foreign Leaders
The pause in investigations on Rodríguez coincides with the Trump administration’s halt on federal probes into another prominent leftist Latin American leader, Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The DEA labeled Petro as a priority target
over alleged ties to drug traffickers under federal investigation for months. In March, The New York Times reported that U.S. officials recently assured the Colombian government that Petro faces no charges in these cases.
Duncan Levin, a former prosecutor from Brooklyn’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, said it is deeply troubling
for law enforcement to receive instructions to stop legitimate investigations for political or transactional reasons. The White House cannot use criminal law enforcement as a diplomatic switch,
said Levin.
Justice Department decisions should be based on law, evidence, policy, and public safety, not on whether a foreign official is convenient for the administration at any given time,
he told the AP.
Durkin Richer reported from Washington, Mustian from New York. AP journalist Regina García Cano contributed from Mexico City.
This story is part of an investigation including the FRONTLINE documentary Crisis in Venezuela, which aired on February 10, 2026, on PBS. Watch it on pbs.org/frontline, PBS app, and FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel.
AP editors translated this story from English using an AI tool.