'15 minutes to comply...': Venezuela President claims in leaked video
What's the story
In a leaked video recording, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez has claimed that United States forces gave her and other cabinet members 15 minutes to comply with their demands or face death. The video, which was obtained by local journalism collective La Hora de Venezuela, shows a two-hour meeting seven days after the US attack that ousted former President Nicolas Maduro.
Compliance dilemma
Rodriguez's response to US threats
Rodriguez said in the recording that the threats started from the moment Maduro was kidnapped. "The threats began from the very first minute they kidnapped the president," she said. She added that Diosdado Cabello, Jorge Rodriguez (her brother and congressional president), and she were given 15 minutes to respond or face death.
Strategic objectives
Rodriguez's goals amidst threats
Rodriguez said she was told that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been "assassinated, not kidnapped." She said she was ready to share the same fate. Despite these threats, Rodriguez set out three goals: "to preserve peace...to rescue our hostages...and to preserve political power." She stressed proceeding with patience and strategic prudence.
Political maneuvering
Rodriguez's compliance with US demands
Since Maduro's ouster, Rodriguez has complied with all US President Donald Trump's demands. Trump had praised her leadership as "very strong" and said the United States was set to "become richer" from Venezuela's oil. However, Margarita Lopez Maya, a historian and political analyst, said, "It may be a narrative Rodriguez herself is constructing to hold the base together, because everyone knows that Maduro's removal could only have happened with internal complicity."