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Donald Trump's Administration Officials Brief Key Lawmakers On Venezuela; Nicolas Maduro's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Formally Sworn In As Interim Leader; Nicolas Maduro And Wife Plead Not Guilty At First Court Appearance; Trump Touts Donroe Doctrine After Capturing Maduro; Colombia Increasing Security Along Border With Venezuela; U.S. President Says We Need Greenland for National Security; European Leaders Express Support for Greenland & Denmark; Maduro, Wife Plead Not Guilty, Next Hearing on March 17; Ousted Venezuelan President Held at Notorious Federal Prison in Brooklyn; Oil Prices Down Amid U.S. plans for Venezuela. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 06, 2026 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:33]

ANNOUNCER: CNN breaking news.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, everybody. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York, where it is 2:00 a.m. -- 3:00 a.m. in Caracas, Venezuela.

We want to begin with breaking news coverage of the fallout over the operation to capture ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has now briefed a key group of lawmakers from both party on what happened in Venezuela. It was a closed door meeting that left lawmakers fairly split along party lines, with one top Democrat concluding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration that they have no plan for what comes next.

Inside of Venezuela, gunfire and anti-aircraft fire over Caracas on Monday night, and there are reports of a misunderstanding and confusion between different security groups near the presidential palace and Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information says that police fired at drones that were flying without permission, according to that agency.

Obviously the city is on edge after Maduro's capture. On Monday, the leader appeared along with his wife for the very first court appearance in the U.S. Federal Court on drug and weapons charges, both of them pleading not guilty.

A source says that the U.S. Senate will likely vote later this week on a measure to limit President Trump's war powers in Venezuela. CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill with more on the mixed reactions over the briefing about Venezuela.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After more than two hours with top administration officials behind closed doors in the first briefing that Congress has had in the aftermath of that stunning attack that occurred on Saturday morning in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Members came out of this classified briefing really divided along party lines.

Democrats sharply critical of this mission. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, said that he had plenty of questions, did not get his questions answered and had a number of concerns about the policy going forward, because there are a number of questions about how long the United States will be in Venezuela, what President Trump means about running Venezuela, how they will actually get the oil out of Venezuela, as the president has promised to do, and whether any of this is actually legal in moving ahead.

But behind closed doors, the briefers gave their justification about why this was a legal operation. They did not rule out going into other countries as well, because they said that if others have similar issues, that the arrest warrant on Nicolas Maduro, potentially, there's a sign that potentially the United States could consider going in to those nations as well. That was caused -- that caused significant concern among Democrats.

But Republicans defended the administration's actions, including the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who I asked in the aftermath of this whether or not the United States how long the United States would stay in Venezuela, what the actual plan is. And the speaker made clear that this would not go as far as some believed, and ruled out the possibility of boots on the ground -- American boots on the ground in that country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said the United States is not occupying Venezuela. So, how is the United States going to run Venezuela, like the president said repeatedly, saying that the United States is in charge of Venezuela, and how much is this going to cost United States taxpayers, in terms of dollars and troops?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The way that this is being described, I think, is accurate. This is not a regime change. This is a demand for change of behavior by a regime. We don't expect troops on the ground. We don't expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new the interim government to get that going.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries. Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying.

RAJU: The lawmakers who emerged from this closed door briefing indicated that the United States would work with Delcy Rodriguez, the vice president of the country, and that they expected eventually, that there would be free and fair elections in Venezuela and that there would be some level of cooperation with the United States in getting the oil onto market.

Much different message than from the president, who said the United States would go in and take the oil and would sell it, and the United States essentially would profit off of that.

And they also had a different message about elections happening. The question is, will the when will that happen? And will it be something that will satisfy President Trump? That remains unclear, but at the moment, we're hearing from Capitol Hill is a real divided reaction along party lines, Democrats upset they were not briefed, and that this emission, they say should not have happened in the way it did. The Republicans falling in line behind the president's actions.

[02:05:26]

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And the U.N. Secretary General says that U.S. military action in Caracas, it has left him, "Deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected." During a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting, the U.S. Ambassador described the Trump's administration's rationale.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: As Secretary Rubio has said, there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. This was a law enforcement operation in furtherance of lawful indictments that have existed for decades. The United States arrested a narco trafficker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: In Colombia, it is one of the member countries that are condemning the U.S. military action. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEONOR ZALABATA, COLOMBIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS (through translator): There is no justification whatsoever, under any circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression. Such action constitutes a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Then there's Venezuela's ambassador who is calling on the U.N. to uphold international laws.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMUEL MONCADA, VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS (through translator): Allowing such acts to go without an effective answer would amount to normalizing the replacement of law by might, while eroding the very foundations of the collective security system.

Today, it is not only Venezuela's sovereignty that is at stake, the credibility of international law, the authority of this organization and the validity of the principle that no state can set itself up as the judge party and executor of the world order are also at stake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And back in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, she was formally sworn in as the country's interim leader on Monday. President Trump says that he believes Rodriguez is willing to do what the U.S. thinks is necessary, to, "Make Venezuela great again." But he won't rule out a second military operation if Rodriguez stops cooperating.

CNN's Paula Newton has more on a landmark day in Venezuela's National Assembly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It is a bold statement that the old guard in Venezuela is still in charge. Lawmakers in the National Assembly gathered to open a new session, an unprecedented one as a loyal operative of the regime of Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as acting president.

Even in taking the oath, Delcy Rodriguez denounced Maduro and his wife's capture, saying she was in pain for the kidnapping of two heroes. While Maduro was shackled and on his way to his first appearance in a New York courtroom, his inner circle returned to a familiar playbook, calling on Venezuelans to hit the streets and protest Maduro's incarceration, even his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra was installed once again in Parliament, emotionally, pledging his allegiance to Rodriguez.

Adding, the homeland is in good hands, dad.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): We seem to have swapped one head of the snake for another, and we absolutely have to make sure that what the result -- that the result from the arrest and removal of Maduro, who was illegally holding office and who violated U.S. and international law, that we move towards a transition.

NEWTON (voice-over): On the streets of Caracas, the shock of the last few days is giving way to a return to business as usual, and a regime that is all too familiar. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in custody, and citizens have been warned the regime is aggressively hunting down U.S. collaborators, government media parrots the line that the entire country stands with Maduro, even though Rodriguez is herself now vowing to engage in a cooperative agenda with the U.S.

The regime, though its guardians, still in place, returned emboldened to this performative display. In fact, the events of the last few days seem to vindicate the revolutionary ideals among Maduro loyalists that the U.S. posed a clear and present danger to the country, and only a dogmatic, zealous devotion to the regime could fight it.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANDOVAL: Joining us now live to discuss all this from Montreal is Brian Naranjo, retired U.S. Senior Foreign Service officer, and also former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. And if I'm not mistaken, Brian, that's been closed since what 2019, I believe?

[02:10:15]

BRIAN NARANJO (RET.) U.S. SENIOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER: That's correct. The team was withdrawn from the embassy there and I believe February of that year.

SANDOVAL: Well, so Brian, I'm so glad that you could join us then to talk about all this. Maduro's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, she's now serving as the acting head of that government. For the Trump administration, are there any benefits to leaving a member of the Maduro regime in control instead of doing everything it can to get a member of the opposition in?

NARANJO: You know, Polo, first off, thank you very much for inviting me to join your show. But I have to say, I'm absolutely perplexed by what the administration, the Trump administration is doing.

What has been done so far is even more than just a surgical strike or operation seems to have almost been a biopsy of Venezuela. They've removed a small portion of the of the regime, albeit the president and the first lady, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, but they've left the tumor. You have remaining there really key people in the regime that has really plagued Venezuela now, for some 26 years.

I've been working on Venezuela for about a third of my 32 year career, and I'm beside myself in trying to figure out why you would do this. Yes, Delcy Rodriguez, somebody that I used to have to deal with when I was charged a fair in Caracas has been left, but you've also left key power ministers like the Minister of Interior, Diosdado Cabello and the Minister of Defense Vladimir Lopez in place at the same time the opposition and Maria Corina Machado have essentially been thrown under the bus, and what the path forward is not entirely clear to me.

It's perplexing. I think that's really the only word that I can use to describe what's going on there.

SANDOVAL: Two questions for me, or the next one is twofold. I mean, based on your experience from Rodriguez, how would you describe her? And then secondly, perhaps because of the operation that we saw play out, is it possible that the administration may think that it may be able to sort of strong arm the current Minnesota government into falling in line?

NARANJO: So, Delcy Rodriguez interesting -- is an interesting person. She comes across as urbane, polished. She's educated in Europe. She's multilingual, speaks excellent French, for example, she's an attorney by training.

I found her to be very cagey, to be hyper skeptical in terms of talking with an American diplomat. But she is, without a doubt, a hardcore ideologue as well. This is somebody from the left. I believe she comes by her radicalism quite honestly, her father was a target of the pre -- of the pre-Chavez intelligence services, and she really, you know, bears that mantle very personally to try and respond to the supposed ills and challenges of Venezuela across some 45, 50 years of democratic rule.

I think that it is quite possible that President Trump has decided that it would be easier to deal with a Delcy Rodriguez than it would be with a Maria Corina Machado. I know Maria Corina as well. She's a very strong person. Holds her convictions very close to her heart and works very hard to advocate for them.

If the president is calculating that Delcy is easier to control. My strong suspicion is that that is not true. She is not somebody who is going to be a willing Marionette, and, you know, operating at the hands of the U.S. administration. She's a nationalist. She is deeply skeptical of the United States. She's positioned herself, as you know, trying to maintain continuity -- maintain unity there in Venezuela. I think that we may be quite surprised by how firm and strong Delcy Rodriguez could be in terms of her engagement with the United States.

[02:15:11]

SANDOVAL: Wow. That certainly would be sobering for the administration.

I have a few more seconds with you, Brian, I'm curious, you know, as just to your earlier point. And as I heard somebody say earlier, it seems that the face of the Maduro regime may be gone, but the muscle, the brain, all of that remains.

And so, keeping that in mind, and of course, the state of play, I mean, in your view, who is looking out for the best interests of the people of Venezuela? Is anybody doing that?

NARANJO: You know, there was -- there's a quote by a former Tanzanian leader that when the -- when the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled. And I fear that this is a case where the Venezuelan people are, yet again, being trampled upon.

The Venezuelan people have suffered for some 25, 26 years now, and that is getting lost here, we're trying to, it appears, to sustain a regime in the hopes of better business deals. But lost is, where is respect for human rights, maintaining democracy, etcetera.

The people in Venezuela have really suffered horrible political malpractice now going on over two decades. I fail to see right now what the path is to try and restore greater democracy, greater prosperity, greater you know, wellbeing for the people of Venezuela right now. I think they are the biggest losers right now, in the -- in the -- in the struggle that's underway.

SANDOVAL: Just really under your underscoring and highlighting, just the importance of continuing to talk about the issue of human rights in Venezuela, and certainly the millions of people whose futures remain uncertain. Brian Naranjo, just a great conversation, and really appreciate that unique insight that you bring to that conversation. Thank you for your time.

NARANJO: It's a pleasure to be with you. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thank you. Well, still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, the ousted Venezuelan president and his wife, they pleaded not guilty to charges against them in a U.S. court. I'll speak with a legal expert about how this case is expected to play out, not months, but perhaps years from now.

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[02:21:55]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to the post Venezuelan president and his wife's next hearing is scheduled for March 17th. They pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance in New York on Monday. Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, they are indicted on drug and weapons charges. They both pleaded not guilty, and Maduro declared, I am still the president of my country through a translator during that hearing on Monday.

His wife also referred to herself as the first lady of Venezuela. Their lawyers did not seek Maduro -- didn't actually seek Maduro or his wife's release, saying that a formal bail application that that would be filed later.

So, let's discuss the case now. Joining me to discuss all of this is attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin, joining us live from Los Angeles. Areva, it's wonderful to see you again.

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi, Polo.

SANDOVAL: So, the Department of Justice is alleging that Maduro used to use his position to help traffic cocaine into the United States. You've read through the indictment, seen over the charges. So far, have you seen any sort of hints of how prosecutors plan to prove that, any witness evidence, perhaps, that they could help them in their prosecution?

MARTIN: We've not seen to date a witness list by the prosecution. But we should expect that there's going to be not only witness testimony from those individuals that are allegedly involved in this conspiracy, because we know one of the serious charges against Maduro is a conspiracy charge. So, we should expect to see witnesses brought forth by the prosecution. These witnesses would be other drug traffickers, individuals that the U.S. alleges are involved in this drug trafficking ring.

Also, we may see some very high-level wiretaps on telephones. We may see e-mails, we may see text messages. We may see a troll of evidence from individuals who we should expect the defense to claim are not credible witnesses, people who may have criminal records themselves or who may have been involved in some kind of illegal activity.

So, again, don't know the specifics in terms of who's going to testify in the trial, but we should expect it to be a cast of characters, many of whom may have unsavory backgrounds themselves.

SANDOVAL: And as many, many expected, Maduro argued that as a head of state that he's immune from prosecution. How do you think that his defense is going to argue in support of sovereign immunity, and could that pretty much be a losing battle do you think?

MARTIN: Well, based on what we saw with Manuel Noriega in 1989 when he was abducted from Panama and brought to trial in the U.S. based on indictment that's very similar to the one that we see here in Maduro, that argument about sovereign immunity was unsuccessful, and we saw that Noriega was actually convicted and sentenced to decades in prison.

So, if you use that case in other cases, similar to what happened to Maduro in terms of being abducted from his country, taken from his country, and brought to a U.S. court, not likely that that sovereign immunity argument by the defense is going to hold up. We know that the U.S. government is going to claim that he was an illegitimate leader, that he did not hold a legitimate power in Venezuela, and therefore because he did not hold legitimate power as the leader, that he is not able to avail himself of sovereign immunity.

[02:25:21]

SANDOVAL: Yes, that's definitely an important point. Did you think that the DOJ could maybe be engaged in talks with some of Maduro's codefendants back in Venezuela to try to cut a deal? And I ask this because we've seen it in other trafficking cases in the past.

MARTIN: Oh, absolutely. Whenever you have a conspiracy case involving multiple defendants, that's one of the key strategies by the prosecution is to go after some of those other coconspirators and try to cut deals with them.

In this case, it's going to be very interesting, because one of the coconspirators is actually Madur's son. He was not apprehended over the weekend. He still, according to our reports, is in Venezuela, but he is one of the codefendants that we may see surface in these proceedings, either as a witness for the prosecution or someone that gives evidence to support the charges against his father.

SANDOVAL: Also on the list is the man who prosecutors allege heads the Tren de Aragua gang, and as we've seen with heads of drug trafficking organizations, they often look after themselves before they look after their codefendants.

So, let's get some of your final thoughts are about pretrial proceedings. What can we expect out of them?

MARTIN: A long and very contentious battle ahead, not likely that this case is going to get to trial before at least a year, lots of motions to be filed by the defense trying to challenge jurisdiction, challenging the legality of the apprehension of Maduro and his wife, and then challenging the authority of the U.S. government to try someone who they're going to claim is a legitimate leader of a foreign country. SANDOVAL: So much to look out for. Thank you so much for guiding us through all this. You're right. It's going to be a long one. Appreciate your time and your expertise as always, and thanks for staying up late.

MARTIN: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Colombia's president firing back at President Trump after the U.S. operation of Venezuela. Tensions are rising between the U.S. and Colombia. More on that after a short break.

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[02:31:56]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": The U.S. military operation in Venezuela seems to be testing international norms after it unfolded. President Trump said American dominance in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again. He seems to be quipping about his version of the Monroe Doctrine, what he calls the Donroe Doctrine, a policy to enact his will on sovereign nations with threats, coercion and even military force. Well, now, some are concerned that his actions could embolden China or Russia to assert their own spheres of influence, including on Taiwan or Ukraine.

President Trump and others in his administration, they have already issued warnings to Iran, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, also on list Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. President Trump had some harsh words for Colombia's president. President Petro didn't hold back in his response though. CNN's Clarissa Ward with that story.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we certainly saw a pretty fiery response today from Colombia's President, Gustavo Petro, who made it very clear that President Trump and the U.S. should not consider any kind of military intervention here in Colombia. He himself is a former guerrilla and he said, you know, I made a vow to lay down my weapons some time ago, but make no mistake, I would be willing to take up arms again in order to defend the homeland.

And he went on to say quite explicitly and I quote, "If you arrest a president who a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar." We have also heard him chastise the U.S.' thinking about Latin America as a region. He posted saying, "Don't think Latin America is just a nest of criminals, poisoning your people. Respect us and respect our history and read our history."

But despite these sort of fiery posts, we've also been talking to a number of people in the president's office. CNN has also spent some time with the Defense Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and they're definitely trying to tamp down the rhetoric. They're trying to say, listen, the U.S. is not an enemy. President Trump is not an enemy. We share a common enemy and a common goal which is to work together to deal with the issue of drugs and drug lords and criminal gangs.

Obviously, Colombia has been working so closely with the U.S. on this issue for four decades and I think that's the point that they really want to emphasize. But still and perhaps partly for the purposes of domestic consumption, we are seeing a strong line from Colombia's president coming out and condemning the U.S. Donald Trump's threat of military intervention here in Colombia.

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Clarissa Ward reporting out of Bogota. And it's not just Colombia, Donald Trump's territorial designs on the Danish territory of Greenland. That's also causing alarm on the island and throughout parts of Europe. A number of leaders are even denouncing the notion of a Greenland takeover.

[02:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland. And only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And the people of Greenland, they don't appear to be enjoying all of this new attention from the U.S. and Danes are also offended by the White House's remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's absurd and I think -- I think he's the agatype (ph) of greed and we need to push back and let him know that this is not -- this is not for him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's crazy I think it's something that just seems totally unreasonable from the U.S. side. And I'm not sure why they think that they can just start going around and buying other people's land from them or taking other people's land. In the beginning, everyone kind of chuckled and laughed and thought it was a silly proposal and nothing would come of it. But, it's good that we're taking it more seriously now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Another Greenlander said that it would be wrong to ignore Trump's threats. As for Greenland's prime minister, he calls President Trump's threats unacceptable and disrespectful. And Denmark's prime minister warning that a U.S. attack on Greenland, it would end the NATO military alliance. More now from CNN's Matthew Chance.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the issue of Greenland seems to be re-emerging as a serious point of contention between the U.S. and its traditional European allies, most of all Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the vast Arctic territory. We were actually there back in October when the Danes staged a show of military force, which they officially said was meant to deter Russian and Chinese military threats. But which Danish military officials privately told me were designed to show President Trump just how seriously they took Greenland's security, just after his repeated threats to take it over.

But now, after the extraordinary events in Venezuela and yet more incendiary remarks about Greenland, the Danish prime minister has appeared on national television saying, she had already "Made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands" and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it doesn't want to be part of the United States. She also warned of the consequences of U.S. military action to seize Greenland, something President Trump has not ruled out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

METTE FREDERIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): First of all, I think you have to take the U.S. president seriously when he says he wants Greenland. But I also want to make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, that is a clear warning about the potential of this issue of Greenland, which is in a strategic location and does have significant natural resources, to fracture the western military alliance if this pressure from Washington escalates further.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

SANDOVAL: Well, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, they are still in U.S. federal custody in Brooklyn. Coming up, a closer look at the security measures in place that are surrounding their high-profile detention.

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[02:42:59]

SANDOVAL: Ousted Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro is being held right now at a very notorious federal prison in Brooklyn, New York. I am going to show you some video of him being escorted under some heavy security between motorcades, ahead of his first court appearance on Monday. A large group gathered outside of the federal courthouse in Manhattan, with demonstrators offering some mixed reactions to the proceedings inside.

John Miller is a CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst at CNN. John, it's good to have you back with us.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Good to be here, Polo.

SANDOVAL: So John, with this initial hearing behind us, but those proceedings really essentially just getting started, what can we expect when it comes to the security wrapped around Maduro, both as he awaits a trial date, being housed in Brooklyn, and then when we get to that potential trial date?

MILLER: Well, I mean, they're treating him basically, with the same model they used for El Chapo, the drug kingpin from the from the cartels, which is as a high-risk prisoner, meaning high risk, he could be threatened by other prisoners because of his status and power, high risk because he could be the target of an assassination from somebody who wants to see him taken out from the opposition from Venezuela, that he could be the subject as a man who has allegedly hundreds of millions of dollars of resources stashed around the world, the kind of person who could finance an escape plot or an assault on one of the movements between that jail and the courthouse.

So, there's a lot of concern about that security as we have seen with the measures, the armored vehicles, the helicopters, the SWAT teams that have accompanied him throughout the earliest parts of this process. Now, he has been handled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, this is their case. But now, he's in the court system which means, as a prisoner, he'll be under the guard of the United States Marshal Service when he moves, and the Bureau of Prisons when he is at the MDC.

[02:45:00]

SANDOVAL: In their assessment, John, what do law enforcement officials see as perhaps the biggest threat to Maduro? I mean, what or who would want to -- would want to target him?

MILLER: And that's a really interesting question because of all the facets involved there, whether he's the target of political assassination or an escape attempt or even an attack in jail where the motives can vary. He is somebody who has access to a tremendous amount of resources in terms of money -- could he arrange his own escape attempt? All of these things are built into the security assessment done by the DEA and the United States Marshals and the Bureau of Prisons. So, you're going to see a lot of security around his movements.

SANDOVAL: The MDC that we're seeing pictures of right now, John, it's notorious for obviously the conditions inside, but also the list of high-profile inmates. I mean, one of them still, Ismael Mayo Zambada, who's still awaiting a sentencing, convicted of essentially drug trafficking and starting the Sinaloa Cartel, the same organization that the -- that Maduro is accused of associating with. So, how do prison officials essentially keep them apart? Is that something they're thinking about?

MILLER: So, this is a complicated prison. It's across two buildings. There's an east building and a west building. That's one way of separating them. But typically, they have housing areas where there are a number of cells. They try to put prisoners who are high security together, medium security together, lower security together, so that they can appropriately address different kinds of prisoners.

But they also have 80 different cells for prisoners who are in isolation and I would suggest, although we don't know this, that both Maduro and his wife are probably in those isolation cells until they figure out whether to move them into one of those pods where you would have perhaps 80 other prisoners, where they would be closer to the regular population. Really right now, their focus is going to be very much focused on meeting with their lawyers and beginning to formulate a defense in a case where the evidence, the amount of discovery material the government is going to turn over is going to be a massive undertaking.

SANDOVAL: It's also going to be a massive cost, especially when it comes time to transport him. Just using -- tapping into your unique law enforcement insight here, who's going to pay for this? The cost can be shared among local, state and federal agencies, or is it really just the Feds that will foot the bill?

MILLER: Well, the NYPD will take this in stride as they did with El Chapo. It'll come out of the U.S. Marshal's budget, the Bureau of Prisons' budget, but that's what they're there for and they are used to --

SANDOVAL: Yeah.

MILLER: -- having one or more of these high-profile defendants that requires all of these additional resources to move around, whether it was mob boss, John Gotti or cartel boss, El Chapo or you know, Polo, it's ironic, the joke in the MDC today is that President Maduro had the second largest perp walk of any of their prisoners, which puts them one behind Luigi Mangione.

SANDOVAL: Right. Right. Yeah, we remember those pictures well and both of them, obviously, recent. John Miller, as always, really appreciate you joining us and letting us tap into your expertise.

MILLER: Thanks, Polo. Good to be here.

SANDOVAL: Venezuela's first lady or as she's called herself, the first combatant, she was targeted along with her husband in part of the Saturday operation. But Cilia Flores didn't rise to importance because of her marriage to Nicolas Maduro. CNN's Isa Soares has more on her political career and how she came to be called the most powerful woman in Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICOLAS MADURO, OUSTED VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Secretary General of my heart.

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of Nicolas Maduro's many moments of praise for his wife, Cilia Flores, who was always by the Venezuelan president's side. But don't be fooled by her soft manner. For years, Flores has wielded power behind the scenes as a shrewd political strategist. In fact, instead of first lady, she likes to go by first combatant, a title that speaks volumes about her lifelong belief in Chavismo, the socialist movement that has dominated Venezuela for decades.

As a lawyer, she helped secure Hugo Chavez's release from prison after his failed coup attempt in the '90s.

[02:50:00]

That's when she first crossed paths with Maduro, a moment she recalled on her husband's podcast.

CILIA FLORES, DEPOSED VENEZUELAN FIRST LADY (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): When a young man asked to speak, he spoke, and I just stared at him. It's true, and I said, look, how intelligent.

SOARES (voice-over): Chavez later became president as well as Maduro's mentor and predecessor, all the while, Flores was busy carving her own political path. In 2006, she became the first woman to preside over Venezuela's National Assembly. She was criticized for banning journalists from the legislative chamber and for hiring dozens of relatives as employees, moves she defended.

In 2012, Chavez appointed Flores as the country's Solicitor General not long before he died. One year later, she tied the knot with then President Maduro.

MADURO (through translator): Cilia and I legalized our relationship under the country's laws.

SOARES (voice-over): All of this has earned her the description of the most powerful woman in Venezuela, that power and influence haven't gone unnoticed. In 2018, the first Trump administration slapped sanctions on the first lady and others, alleging they were helping the Venezuelan leader plunder his nation's wealth.

MADURO (through translator): If you want to attack me, attack me. Don't mess with Cilia. Don't mess with the family.

SOARES (voice-over): But the Trump administration disagreed. And when it took the extraordinary step of seizing the Venezuelan president from his bedroom over the weekend, it made sure to get Flores too. In the indictment, prosecutors accused the first couple and other members of the country's elite of working with narco trafficking gangs to facilitate and protect their drug trafficking operation. The 25-page document adds that they ordered kidnappings, beatings, and murders against those who owed them money or interfered with their drug trafficking operation.

69-year-old Flores made her first appearance at a New York courthouse on Monday alongside her husband. Defiant, they both pleaded not guilty on what is fast becoming a blockbuster case.

Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: We're also learning more about the timeline of Operation Absolute Resolve. Still ahead, a closer look at how the U.S. military captured and extracted Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

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SANDOVAL: President Trump's promise to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry seems to be bringing oil prices down.

[02:55:00] Experts say that that could possibly mean lower gas prices for you, the consumer, but it's not likely to inspire oil companies to invest in Venezuela. It's obviously quite unstable there. President Trump says that he thinks U.S. companies could rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure in less than 18 months. His energy secretary, he plans to meet this week with industry executives to discuss their plans. Analysts are telling CNN, the political uncertainty in Venezuela as well as the huge cost of rebuilding infrastructure, that could be prohibitive.

The U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, he's praising the U.S. military saying that they did their job "flawlessly" during the mission to capture Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh breaks down the timeline of how Saturday's Operation Absolute Resolve went down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MADURO (through translator): Come get me.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Nicolas Maduro unbowed, President Trump gave the order at 10:46 p.m. Eastern Time. Later, U.S. forces flew into Venezuela from the sea. 150 aircraft, drones, jets, the helicopters visible over Caracas where blackouts from U.S. electronic warfare and blasts eased their path.

GEN. DAN CAINE, U.S. CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: As the night began, the helicopters took off with the extraction force which included law enforcement officers and began their flight into Venezuela at 100-feet above the water. As they approached Venezuelan shores, the United States began layering different effects provided by Spacecom, Cybercom, and other members of the interagency to create a pathway.

WALSH (voice-over): Multiple locations were hit in and around the capital, including what appeared to be an air defense missile system east of Caracas, in Higuerote and La Carlota airbase in the capital and the Port of La Guaira. Fire was otherwise concentrated on the Fuerte Tiuna military stronghold. And at 1:01 a.m., U.S. forces landed at Maduro's location.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It was a force against a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas.

WALSH (voice-over): Images from outside Fuerte Tiuna show troops and people fleeing in the dead of night. It lasted 30 minutes, said General Dan Caine, and tore apart Venezuela's defenses and the regional order, leaving a gap of two hours and many clashes, he said, until they were over the sea.

CAINE: And the force was over the water at 3:29 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

WALSH (voice-over): The multi-million dollar alleged narco terrorist on the USS Iwo Jima in $120 jogging suit. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And from the entire team, really appreciate you joining us for the last hour of news. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. The news continues with my colleague, Rosemary Church, after a short break.

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