Below is the text of the October article from the Miami Herald. IMHO, the absence of any serious military resistance to the attack is a strong indication of some sort of deal. The Herald article says Maduro agreed to the negotiations between the VP Delcy Rodriguez (and her brother) and Rubio, Trump et al. via Qatar. If true, the deal could include Maduro (unlikely now IMHO), or Rodriguez et al. may have betrayed Maduro, or Rubio et al. may have betrayed the PSUV leaders. The PSUV has organized very large demonstrations against the kidnapping in Caracas and other cities and its leaders are issuing statements against the attack and in defense of Venezuelan sovereignty. If the whole PSUV leadership was in on the deal, most likely the Cubans and the Russians were, too.
VENEZUELA Exclusive: Venezuelan leaders offered U.S. a path to stay in power without Maduro By Antonio María Delgado Updated October 16, 2025 11:01 AM Gift Article A handout photo released by Venezuela’s Presidency shows Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (right) speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on January 31, 2025. Presidencia de Venezuela A group of senior Venezuelan government officials, led by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and her brother Jorge, who is president of the National Assembly, have quietly promoted a series of initiatives in recent months aimed at presenting themselves to Washington as a “more acceptable” alternative to Nicolás Maduro’s regime, according to people with direct knowledge of the talks. The proposals, funneled through intermediaries in Qatar, sought to persuade sectors of the U.S. government that a “Madurismo without Maduro” could enable a peaceful transition in Venezuela—preserving political stability without dismantling the ruling apparatus. According to the sources, Qatari mediators presented to the U.S. two formal proposals this year, one in April and another in September. Both outlined potential governing mechanisms without Maduro in power. In those scenarios, Delcy Rodríguez would serve as the institutional continuity figure, while retired Gen. Miguel Rodríguez Torres, who is currently in exile and is not related to the Rodriguez siblings, would head a transitional government. The central argument, the sources said, was that the Rodríguez siblings represent a “more palatable” version of so-called chavismo — the socialist ideology named for deceased leader Hugo Chávez — for Washington, since neither has been indicted on narcotrafficking charges by U.S. courts. However, former regime officials— whose accounts have been used by U.S. prosecutors in cases linked to the so-called Cartel of the Suns—have implicated both siblings in logistical support and money laundering operations. Sources told the Miami Herald the offers though Qatar were made with Maduro’s approval. Qatar as diplomatic, financial channel The contacts in Qatar reportedly intensified following the Trump administration’s tougher stance on Caracas, particularly after the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean aimed at curbing drug trafficking and dismantling the Cartel of the Suns, which Washington directly links to Maduro. Qatar, which has close ties to the Venezuelan government and has been accused by U.S. officials of sheltering Venezuelan funds, played a key role as intermediary. All proposals were routed through its capital, Doha, where according to sources Delcy Rodríguez maintains “a significant relationship” with members of the Qatari royal family and hides part of her assets. During one meeting in Doha, a senior member of the royal family reportedly acknowledged acting as a bridge between Caracas and Washington on “intelligence and economic cooperation matters.” According to sources, the proposals were presented to the White House and the State Department by U.S. Special Envoy Richard Grenell, who earlier this year met with Maduro at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas and helped secure the release of several American citizens whom Washington considered wrongfully imprisoned by the regime. Grenell, who has been advising the administration to engage Maduro in negotiations to defuse the escalating diplomatic standoff, declined to comment for this story. The State Department did not respond to questions about the Venezuelan leaders’ offer. The ‘Cartel Lite’ formula Some sectors in the Trump administration interpreted the overtures as part of an informal strategy that became known as ‘Cartel Lite:’ a softened version of chavismo designed to allow a managed transition without an abrupt rupture and without dismantling the regime’s core structures. The April proposal called for Maduro to step down, remain in Venezuelan with guarantees for his safety, and negotiate an arrangement granting U.S. companies access to Venezuelan oil and mining industries. In exchange, it suggested that U.S. prosecutors drop criminal charges against Maduro. Under that plan Delcy Rodriguez would assume the country’s presidency. The New York Times has previously reported that regime envoys held confidential talks for months with Grenell, discussing the possibility of reopening Venezuela’s energy sector to U.S. companies, reducing cooperation with Russia, China, and Iran, and redirecting oil exports toward the United States. While these proposals marked a radical shift from chavismo’s anti-U.S. doctrine, the White House did not move forward. A hardline faction led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio prevailed, warning that any agreement short of regime change would betray democratic principles. Rodríguez Torres as transition figure The second proposal, presented in September, envisioned Maduro being replaced by a transitional government led by Delcy Rodríguez and Miguel Rodríguez Torres, with guarantees that the Venezuelan leader could seek exile in Qatar or Turkey. Rodríguez Torres, a former interior minister and intelligence chief, was once a close ally of Hugo Chávez before becoming a political prisoner under Maduro. Though now exiled in Spain, he maintains connections with military circles and key chavismo figures, making him, in the eyes of some observers, a potential broker for an orderly transition. However, his record of repression and documented human rights abuses during his tenure at the Interior Ministry and the SEBIN intelligence service pose a significant obstacle. International organizations have cited cases of torture and arbitrary detention under his watch. The September proposal also included involving certain opposition figures who, in practice, maintain informal ties to the regime—an effort to project a façade of political pluralism without altering the governing power structure. Venezuela’s top opposition leader, María Corina Machado — who last week was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading the country’s nonviolent struggle to restore democracy — was not included in the plan, as chavista officials consider her too principled and inflexible to take part in such an arrangement. The siblings and the cartel For many years, Jorge and Delcy Rodríguez have been central pillars of Venezuela’s ruling elite: he as president of the National Assembly and key strategist within the regime; she as executive vice president under Maduro. Behind their image as disciplined technocrats and heirs to the Chavez’s so-called Bolivarian project, however, persist longstanding allegations of involvement with the Cartel of the Suns—a network that, according to international agencies, operates within Venezuela’s armed forces and controls part of the cocaine trade through Caribbean and Atlantic routes. Sources familiar with U.S. investigations said the siblings took part in coordination meetings for drug shipments alongside senior regime officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Nicolás Maduro Guerra, the Venezuelan leader’s son. In U.S. indictments filed in New York, Cabello is identified as the cartel’s top operator, while Maduro, as head of state, guarantees its protection. According to the same sources, the Rodríguez siblings now serve as the cartel’s financial managers: “They are the ones who control the money,” one source told the Miami Herald. Washington rejects ‘makeover’ The sources said the Trump administration ultimately dismissed the transition proposals from Caracas after internal reports concluded they were an attempt to preserve the regime’s criminal structures under a new guise. “The ‘Cartel Lite’ was not a viable option,” one source said. From that point, Trump’s circle adopted a policy of rejecting any negotiation involving government officials under U.S. sanctions or those tied to the regime’s repressive and criminal machinery. Caracas’s efforts to secure a deal with Washington have grown increasingly urgent amid signs that the Trump administration is willing to use military force against the Venezuelan cartel. On Tuesday, Trump announced that U.S. forces had carried out another deadly strike in the Caribbean, destroying a vessel off Venezuela’s coast that he described as affiliated with a “Designated Terrorist Organization” involved in drug trafficking. The strike was the sixth in two months, bringing the total death toll to 27. Trump has said the operations are lawful under his executive authority and aim to neutralize networks that pose a “direct threat” to U.S. national security. The expanded military deployment now includes more than 4,500 U.S. personnel—Marines and Navy troops—supported by a cruiser, several destroyers, a Los Angeles–class attack submarine, and F-35 stealth fighters stationed in Puerto Rico, giving the U.S. overwhelming air superiority over Venezuela’s aging Sukhoi and F-16 fleet. In response, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino accused Washington of using “false” narcotrafficking allegations as a pretext to promote regime change, calling U.S. actions “bellicose and inhumane.” In what was interpreted as a new signal that the administration is planning some sort of operation inside Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he does not rule out land strikes in the South American country. “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ve almost totally stopped it by sea. Now we’ll stop it by land.” The president, however, wouldn’t confirm if he had authorized the CIA to eliminate Maduro. “I don’t want to answer the question like that. That’s a ridiculous question,” he said. “Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?” According to a New York Times story on Wednesday, Trump authorized the agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. The secret authorization, known as a presidential finding, allows the CIA to carry out lethal operations and a range of covert actions in Venezuela and across the Caribbean. It is not known whether the CIA has already initiated operations under the new authority, which was approved in recent weeks. It also remains unclear whether the measure is intended as a contingency plan or if missions are actively being planned. Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/.../article312516272.html... <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.miamiherald.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fvenezuela%2Farticle312516272.html%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQUM1VXk3THl0MjdVSlFmaXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6lEkNjPyjGHt2kSqpJIcrKIdvighogoPln6q6Wik8OITcEjrzRKjhvdTzt0g_aem_FYXivShclbUR7v8oiDZBHQ%23storylink%3Dcpy&h=AT2XwlCkpJ6Wz-b2SYz0X503e9QYD8k5H1s0On_zKK4tKzMzuZzrZgMLpwL3Jm5dhZAuMMoeQQZP9acNBgWTHy9XExB_CHHCDjnguUwdzMNimg81bgGXtuFwDAz1ef-LwS4FChelh7fATA&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT22sNrOU07Iqfxw6BxbaT4K2mhwELmSBaY8kQGdrSGRe4EjWDmWsySf_zqMYf1ep-eYwHaLavGD6WzzbBOeRS8l7XQQGtPytUx37dSUm-b-u1FCASH7lxQi-j9zYiTPwIRPlnbR3Ki7r1l2nLUJKoABCdj0jwGhdST22Pz8OhiJRxrURD4> On Mon, Jan 5, 2026 at 11:08 AM hari kumar via groups.io <hari6.kumar= [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Marv: > Those who have no principled support of the revolution inside governments > - betray the government. > The revolutionary surge brings a lot of people forward, some who last some > who do not. Same in the USSR - Same in Venezuela. > > The Vice-president - says the Miami Herald - was negotiating with trump > for months. > I believe this is entirely believable. I do not have a sub - but it > allowed me here as below - says it will work for others but I am not > sure... I got the reference via 'Tagespiegel which carried an article > referencing this. > > https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article312516272.html > > As I said first to David - and then essentially the same to Tom (although > since I had missed some crucial words the link was not clear) - those who > doubt that there were indeed hidden counter-revolutionaries of various > shades (by no means were all the same) in the USSR, will not see some of > the possible and yet essential lessons of the Bolivarian failure. > > Cheers, H > > > > > > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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