Published plans show CIA agents will be in Venezuela after the fall of Maduro

Discussions on planning between the CIA and the State Department have focused on what US background will look like in Venezuela, both in the short term and in the long term, following former President Nicoles Maduro's dramatic capture at the beginning of this month, transmits Telegrafi.

While the State Department will serve as the US's main long-term diplomatic presence in the country, the Trump administration is likely to rely heavily on the CIA to start that re-entry process due to continued political transition and unstable security situation in Venezuela after Maduros, increased resources.

“The state raises the flag, but the CIA is actually impacting”, said a source familiar with the planning process for CNN, noting that the agency's short-term goals include preparing the stage for diplomatic efforts, including building relations with locals and ensuring security.

In the short term, American officials can operate from a CIA annex, ahead of the opening of an official embassy, allowing them to start making informal contacts with members of various members of Venezuela's government, as well as opposition figures and target third parties that could pose threats, the source said, making a parallel to the agency's work in Ukraine.

“Raise an annex is the number one priority. In front of diplomatic channels, the annex can help create interconnection channels, which will be of Venezuelan intelligence and will allow conversations that diplomats cannot do”, said a former US government official engaged with Venezuelans.