101 - The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has been at the center of major developments following the United States military operation in Venezuela earlier this month. On January 3rd, 2026, the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve, a military strike that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Ratcliffe played a key role in this operation and its aftermath.

As the first senior Trump administration official to visit Venezuela after Maduro's capture, Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas on January 16th to meet with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and Venezuelan military leaders. During this visit, according to sources familiar with the planning, Ratcliffe conveyed a clear message to Venezuela's new leadership that the country can no longer serve as a safe haven for America's adversaries, particularly targeting concerns about Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influence in the region.

CNN reports that Ratcliffe and the CIA are now quietly working to establish a permanent American intelligence presence in Venezuela as part of the Trump administration's broader strategy to influence the country's future. According to multiple sources familiar with the planning, the CIA is spearheading discussions with the State Department about what this long-term footprint will look like. In the short term, US officials are expected to operate from a CIA annex before a formal embassy opens, allowing them to build informal relationships with various Venezuelan government factions and opposition figures while identifying potential threats.

Before the military operation, Ratcliffe's agency played a crucial role in its success. According to sources briefed on the operation, CIA officers were deployed in Venezuela in August 2025 to track Maduro's patterns, locations, and movements. The agency had secretly installed a small team inside the country that provided vital intelligence. Additionally, the CIA had a source operating within the Venezuelan government who helped the United States track Maduro's location and movements leading up to his capture.

The CIA also provided classified analysis to senior policymakers regarding the implications of Maduro's removal from power and was expected to continue making recommendations on Venezuela's leadership situation going forward. Ratcliffe's visit to Caracas underscored the agency's expanded role in post-Maduro Venezuela, with intelligence officials now tasked with briefing Venezuelan authorities on American concerns about hostile foreign powers.

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John Ratcliffe serves as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In recent days, he made a high-profile trip to Venezuela to meet interim President Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas. CBS News reports that Ratcliffe traveled there on Thursday, the same day President Trump met opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. AOL confirms the meeting with Rodriguez and other top officials came twelve days after United States forces seized former President Nicolas Maduro.

This visit highlights efforts to rebuild trust and discuss security cooperation. Ground News sources say Rodriguez offered the White House collaboration once Maduro was detained, with Ratcliffe's meeting aimed at stabilizing the country and preventing collapse. She pledged help on security but not in removing Maduro. Talks also covered oil sector reforms to allow foreign investment without state oil company control, aided by Qatar's ties.

TBS News details how Rodriguez, a former vice president and oil minister, met Ratcliffe amid her push to consolidate power. Facing internal rivalries, especially with hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, she appointed loyalists like Major General Gustavo Gonzalez to head the military counterintelligence agency. Sources close to the government note she needs United States consent to survive, reforming armed forces and boosting oil production to meet Trump administration demands.

The trip underscores tense dynamics in Venezuela, where Rodriguez calls for dialogue with opposition sectors for peace and coexistence over the next one hundred days. Radio France Internationale and ANSA report her push for agreements despite political differences. Meanwhile, CBS News mentions Ratcliffe's separate secret visit to Poland for high-level security talks amid rising tensions on NATO's eastern flank.

These moves show Ratcliffe's active role in key global hotspots.

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently traveled to Caracas, Venezuela, to meet with interim President Delcy Rodriguez. According to Fox News and a United States official, the visit occurred on Thursday after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro, who was seized by United States forces in early January. CBS News reports that Ratcliffe's trip coincided with President Trump meeting opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, signaling high-level engagement in Venezuela's transition.

The meeting aimed to rebuild trust and discuss security cooperation, as sources told Reuters. Rodriguez, a former vice president and oil minister, has been consolidating power amid internal rivalries, including with hardline interior minister Diosdado Cabello. She appointed Major General Gustavo Gonzalez to head Venezuela's military counterintelligence agency, a move seen as countering threats from Cabello's allies. Rodriguez also launched a Coexistence and Peace Program, calling for dialogue with opposition groups and all sectors to foster stability over the next 100 days, according to reports from Deutschlandfunk and Radio-Canada.

Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, plan to brief United States senators on Venezuela this Wednesday, per AOL. Rodriguez has offered cooperation on oil sector reforms to allow foreign investment, with Qatar's involvement noted in discussions. About 20 percent of Venezuela's political prisoners have been released since Maduro's capture, though not on a massive scale, as Ara reports.

Ratcliffe also made a secret visit to Poland for high-level security talks amid rising tensions on NATO's eastern flank, according to Vietbao. These actions highlight Ratcliffe's role in advancing United States interests in volatile regions.

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John Ratcliffe, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has emerged as a central figure in a dramatic reshaping of U.S. intelligence operations across Latin America. In a closed-door briefing to Congress earlier this month, Ratcliffe revealed that foreign intelligence collection focused on Latin America has increased by roughly fifty-one percent during his tenure, with the number of human sources rising by sixty-one percent. These figures underscore a significant strategic pivot that places the hemisphere back at the center of American intelligence priorities after years of relative neglect.

The most striking demonstration of this new approach came with a covert CIA operation in Venezuela conducted earlier this month. According to officials briefed on the operation, Ratcliffe's agency carried out sabotage missions inside Venezuela, clearing the path for a U.S. military strike force to enter the country and seize President Nicolas Maduro. The clandestine work ensured American forces could move swiftly and safely through hostile terrain. The operation was particularly ambitious given that the United States has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela and its embassy remains closed, meaning CIA operatives worked without the traditional diplomatic cover that typically protects intelligence officers abroad.

Ratcliffe oversaw months of preparation for the Venezuela mission, during which CIA teams monitored Maduro's movements, recruited individuals capable of relaying information from within his inner circle, and provided real-time intelligence to U.S. military commanders before and during the raid. Additionally, ten days before U.S. forces seized Maduro, the CIA carried out a strike on a dock where members of a Venezuelan gang were reportedly loading drugs onto boats, an action authorized by President Donald Trump as part of the broader effort to destabilize hostile networks.

Following Maduro's capture, Ratcliffe met with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas on January fifteenth to discuss security issues and possible economic cooperation. According to a U.S. official, the purpose of the meeting was to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship.

This expanded focus on Latin America reflects Ratcliffe's philosophy of returning to classic tradecraft, emphasizing more spies, more human sources, and a willingness to conduct covert action rather than rely solely on satellites and intercepts. His coordination with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has tightened the bond between intelligence and military leadership heading into an era of rapid crises.

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe continues to reshape U.S. intelligence operations in Latin America, with Venezuela emerging as the centerpiece of his strategic pivot. Earlier this month, a covert CIA team executed sabotage missions inside Venezuela, clearing the path for a U.S. military strike force that captured President Nicolás Maduro. According to officials briefed on the operation, the clandestine work ensured American forces could move swiftly and safely through hostile terrain. This marks a significant demonstration of Ratcliffe's more aggressive approach to intelligence gathering and covert action.

The scale of Ratcliffe's expansion in the region is striking. In a closed-door briefing to Congress, he revealed that foreign intelligence collection focused on Latin America has increased by roughly fifty-one percent during his tenure, while the number of human sources has risen by sixty-one percent. This dramatic escalation signals a fundamental shift in how Washington views the hemisphere, elevating it from a secondary concern to a primary focus of U.S. strategic planning.

What made the Venezuela operation particularly notable was its scope and risk. The CIA team operated without diplomatic cover, as the U.S. embassy in Venezuela remains closed. Had the operatives been discovered, they would have lacked consular assistance or formal immunity, representing a calculated gamble that underscores Ratcliffe's willingness to accept operational risks for strategic gains.

Beyond the initial operation, Ratcliffe has been actively engaged in diplomatic coordination. He met with Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, in Caracas on January 15th to deliver a message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship. The meeting reflected Ratcliffe's involvement in the broader Trump administration strategy for Venezuela, working alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to plan and execute the administration's Venezuela approach.

Ratcliffe's tenure has also been marked by increased transparency about CIA operations. President Trump publicly confirmed that he authorized CIA actions in Venezuela and revealed details about a port strike targeting Venezuelan gang members. This openness breaks with traditional norms of plausible deniability, signaling confidence in the agency's capabilities while exposing the machinery of covert power to public scrutiny.

The CIA director's broader vision emphasizes classic tradecraft. He advocates for more human intelligence sources and a willingness to conduct covert action rather than rely solely on satellites and intercepts. This philosophy represents a return to traditional espionage methods, reflecting Ratcliffe's assessment that the agency had become too dependent on technological collection over human intelligence.

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