Trump Administration Directs US Prosecutors Not to Pursue Criminal Probes of Acting President Rodríguez

The Trump administration instructed federal prosecutors in Miami on May 27, 2026 to refrain from opening new criminal investigations into Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to an AP exclusive corroborated by the Washington Post and CBC News. The directive reflects the administration's broader strategic decision to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with Venezuela's transitional government rather than subject its leadership to US criminal jeopardy. The DEA had accumulated extensive intelligence on Rodríguez since at least 2018, including allegations of drug trafficking facilitation and gold smuggling tied to Venezuela's state mining enterprise Minerven. Rodríguez had been on OFAC sanctions lists and was removed from the Specially Designated Nationals list under a General License earlier in 2026. Critics of the decision — including Democratic senators, Venezuelan human rights advocates, and some rule-of-law organizations — warned that giving Rodríguez effective impunity without corresponding democratic reforms or accountability for past abuses undermines the pressure needed to secure genuine political transition. Supporters of the approach argue that a stability-first framework is necessary to prevent Venezuela from descending into a failed state and to unlock US oil sector investment. The directive does not affect the separate narco-terrorism prosecution of former President Nicolás Maduro, who remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn with a next court date of June 30, 2026.