Trump administration lifts sanctions on Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's acting president

The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, as the U.S. seeks to rebuild ties with the Venezuelan government.

The rollback comes just three months after U.S. forces seized Rodriguez' predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife in a daring special forces raid. Both were extradited to New York to face drug trafficking charges and have since pleaded not guilty. 

The deletion of Rodriguez's name from the so-called Specially Designated Nationals list will allow her to access certain blocked assets and deal with U.S.-based enterprises. It's the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to normalize relations with Venezuela, which the U.S. has not had formal diplomatic relations with since 2019.

Last month, the U.S. formally recognized Rodriguez as Venezuela's leader and began taking steps to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. Mr. Trump has praised Rodriguez, saying last month she is "doing a great job" and is "working with U.S. Representatives very well."

Since Maduro's removal from power, the administration has sought to incentivize U.S. investment in Venezuela's oil sector, rolling back sanctions to allow American oil companies to spend on infrastructure and production. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have also led delegations to Venezuela, which holds the world's largest oil reserves.

A Trump administration official said the removal of sanctions "signals our support for a more constructive U.S.–Venezuela relationship and for expanded private sector engagement that can help advance Venezuela's economic recovery and democratic transition."

Another administration official told CBS News the move "reflects our decision to work with the interim authorities led by Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela."

Rodriguez acknowledged the removal of sanctions in a post on her Telegram page. 

"We value President Donald Trump's decision as a step toward normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries," she wrote. "We trust that this progress will allow for the lifting of current sanctions against our country, enabling us to build and guarantee an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our people."

Rodriguez and several other Maduro government insiders were sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018, part of a diplomatic crisis following Maduro's reelection that year, which the U.S. and several other countries viewed as rigged. At the time, the Treasury Department said Maduro had made Rodriguez vice president to "help him maintain power and solidify his authoritarian rule."

In February, one of Venezuela's opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado, thanked the Trump administration for removing Maduro from power — but argued Rodriguez cannot be trusted because of her prior ties to Maduro.

In an interview with Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan in February, she said, "everything Delcy Rodríguez is currently doing is because she's complying with instructions she's getting from the United States."