According to multiple people familiar with the matter, the communications began early in the Trump administration and continued through the weeks leading up to the January 3 operation that aimed to seize President Nicolás Maduro. The discussions did not stop after the raid, the sources said, as U.S. officials remained in contact with Cabello in the aftermath. While the exact details of the conversations remain unclear, the Reuters report says U.S. officials warned Cabello against using the security forces and militant ruling-party supporters under his command to target the opposition, reflecting concern that he could unleash chaos and undermine interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s fragile grip on power.
Cabello, 62, is named alongside Maduro in the U.S. drug-trafficking indictment used to justify the raid, yet he was not detained. The indictment alleges he played a key role in the “Cartel de los Soles,” a Venezuelan drug-trafficking network led by members of the government. The United States has imposed sanctions on Cabello for years, and in 2020 issued a bounty that has since been raised to $25 million. Despite these measures, Reuters reports that the Trump administration continued its communications with Cabello, even discussing the sanctions and indictment as part of ongoing talks.
The timing and nature of the talks are significant because Cabello is widely regarded as Venezuela’s second most powerful figure and the central enforcer of Maduro’s repressive machinery. A former military officer and close confidant of late President Hugo Chávez, Cabello controls key elements of the security apparatus, including intelligence services, police, and armed forces, and has strong ties to pro-government militias known as colectivos. His influence has made him a critical figure in determining whether Venezuela’s transition remains stable or collapses into renewed violence.
U.S. officials view interim President Delcy Rodríguez as the linchpin of their post-Maduro strategy, but Reuters reports that Cabello could either support or sabotage that plan. Sources told Reuters that the U.S. fears Cabello could use his control over security forces to challenge Rodríguez, whose authority is already strained by internal rivalries and the need to boost oil production under U.S. pressure. While Rodríguez and Cabello have publicly pledged unity, the Reuters report says they are not known to be close allies, and their rivalry could become a decisive factor in Venezuela’s near-term future.
The reported communications also reflect Washington’s broader dilemma: how to manage the transition in a country where power is concentrated in a small number of hardline figures. Cabello’s continued presence has long been viewed as an obstacle to democratic change, and some analysts argue that his removal would be a clear signal of genuine political reform. Elliott Abrams, who served as Trump’s special representative on Venezuela in his first term, told Reuters that many Venezuelans would expect Cabello to be removed if a democratic transition is to advance, saying his exit would indicate that the regime is truly changing.
In the days following Maduro’s ouster, questions have emerged in Washington over why Cabello was not detained alongside Maduro, given his prominent role in the indictment. Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar criticized the decision, saying Cabello is “probably worse than Maduro.” Cabello has responded by denouncing U.S. intervention and declaring that “Venezuela will not surrender,” while reports of security checkpoints and searches have reportedly decreased in recent days.
Amid these developments, both Trump and the Venezuelan government have announced the release of detainees considered political prisoners by the opposition and human rights groups. The government says Cabello, in his capacity as interior minister, is overseeing the process, but rights groups warn that releases are slow and hundreds remain detained. Reuters’ reporting on the U.S.-Cabello communications underscores the precarious balance Washington is attempting to strike, revealing the extent to which it is engaging with a figure long accused of corruption and repression in order to maintain stability in a volatile Venezuela.
