Posted on 01/05/2026 9:55:00 PM PST by SeekAndFind
When Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez gave a speech condemning the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro, she was accompanied by two men who can make or break the regime’s future.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino command Venezuela’s police and military, the forces that kept Maduro in power for more than a decade with deadly crackdowns on dissent.
Trump said Rodríguez is the de facto leader of Venezuela. She is someone who despite her anti-U.S. rhetoric has privately assured Washington that she will do its bidding with Maduro facing prison, Trump said on Saturday.
But Cabello and Padrino “could very easily take action against her and sideline her immediately,” said Brian Naranjo, a former senior U.S. diplomat who served in Venezuela.
“Those are the two guys who control Venezuela right now,” Naranjo said. “These are the guys who command people with guns.”
Cabello and Padrino are displaying unity with Rodríguez, but they represent a wild card for President Trump’s bet that the remnants of the regime will fall in line to avoid Maduro’s fate. The country relies on the military as the only national institution that comes close to being functional, said Juan Cruz, a former National Security Council official in charge of the Western Hemisphere.
“In Venezuela’s storied history, the military has been responsible every single time for the elimination of democracy and the restoration of democracy,” he said. “They hold the ultimate vote.”
For now, Cabello and Padrino appear to be playing ball after the large-scale strike that took out Maduro’s personal security apparatus and led to his capture, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
“They’re humiliated by the paper tiger that is the Venezuelan military,” Cruz said. “They are still in power. The cupola is intact. But they don’t sleep at night.”
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Their role will largely determine whether Venezuela maintains a level of stability, or if it descends into chaos. The country is rife with armed groups including leftist Colombian guerrillas who criticized the capture of Maduro.
They will also determine whether the regime abides by U.S. demands, including giving access to Venezuela’s oil wealth.
However, Cabello and Padrino may not have much of a choice after U.S. commandos were able to snatch Maduro and his wife. Trump has threatened a second, larger attack if the regime rebels.
Still, their continued hold on power is one reason people in Venezuela say they haven’t celebrated the downfall of Maduro, who was widely unpopular.
Venezuela’s leadership is turning into a season of “Peaky Blinders.”
I don’t understand why Maduro is charged with possession of machine guns and destructive devices. That’s American firearms regulations. What does that have to do with Venezuela?
Those 2 vermin do not believe in right to bear arms by citizens.
And they do not respect the value of Freedom.
President Trump, understands the Cartels.
He has said MX is next.
2 men in Venezuela will not stop Trump from restoring Venezuela.
I'm aware. Consider my comment an illustration of America without the 2nd Amendment spelling things out.
Ask Biden.
MSN and Wall Street Journal both are poor sources of reality in the world.
The 2 cartels in Venezuela are no match for our military.
Chicken Little, the sky is truly not falling.
President Trump has a pair.
Chop the head off, have a vetted handpicked replacement in hand, tell certain key leaders they can stay but they now work for us (or at least on certain issues better do as told).
Real simple.
Use the pre-existing government apparatus for security, governance, managing infrastructure etc. instead of going in and breaking everything, having to fill the void in the interim, and needing to rebuild it all. Nation building tends to be open ended, expensive, high cost in blood, with scope creep.
Regime change ≠ Nation building.
If it isn’t clear yet to anybody then they aren’t thinking. We have eyes and ears everywhere there and it is only increasing with time. Do you honestly think Emperor Trump is going to let shenanigans get out of hand? Remember when he said there “is a second wave ready should it be needed”? Implicit in that is an assurance there can be as many waves as needed until it gets stabilized to his liking. Keep FAing, then there will be more FOing. Better if things progress in a civil manner. Don’t make Marco have to keep working, he already has a lot to do!
...are no match for our military...
When and where has that been said before?
It’s not just the cartels. Chavez and Maduro created a militia of thugs. Maybe 80,000. These guys may not have the dedication of the guys who want the 72 virgins but they have weapons, know the country, and know without the Chavistas their lives go back to being unimportant punks. With the cartels and the Cubans in the country they can make this very very messy. And I don’t think Trump wants this on the 6:30 news or 24/7 on CNN.
Yes, the “militia of thugs” you speak of, if memory serves, based on recently penned accounts, are the only civilians allowed to have and carry guns, which, it is said, they use with little true legal control and almost no accountability for what amounts to terror, which they foment in the hearts of their fellow civilians who are strictly denied the right to keep and bear arms.
Eventually, it would seem that the fleet needs to sail home. Trump’s warning of a “second wave”...how can it have, or continue to have teeth, the more time that passes from the initial strike justified, essentially as a ling-arm law enforcement action, a “legal extraction” of indicted individuals?
Any venezuelan that wants to go home will get an AR 15 and a thousand rounds of ammo
When men with guns encounter men with balls, the men with guns will be disarmed and hung from a telephone pole. Then the men with balls will have guns, and the men with guns will shortly all be dangling from the wireposts. Liberty is a powerful motivator.
Looking at the indictment (will need a closer look as I just skimmed it), it appears that in at least ona case, such weapons were possessed and used during the commission of a crime which is chargeable in the US, that is, in the US or within the 12 mile limit at sea.
I also note that the national oil company’s plane was used in drug smuggling, etc...
and there may be more snatch n grabs in the future to capture others.
Yes. But in my opinion, and AR10 and a M1911 45acp pistol and ammo would be better.
Don’t make them negative waves Moriarty.
What did President Trump accomplish in 30 minutes?
Smoke em.
Yes.
And Yes, I am amazed what Marco has accomplished.
...Do you honestly think Emperor Trump is going to let shenanigans get out of hand...
Well said.
The oil, gold, and wealth of Venezuela belong to all Citizens of Venezuela, NOT the Cartels/china/iran/communists/marxist of the world.
President Trump stated Venezuela can sell oil around the world, and implied the criminality must end
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