JERICKA DUNCAN:
00:00:00
What you're looking at right now is our first pictures of Nicolás Maduro on the Iwo Jima that the president noted he was being transferred on to get here to New York to face charges in that indictment. I want to bring in CBS News National Security Contributor Samantha Vinograd. President Trump has said that these attacks on Venezuela were related to drugs. Was this a successful mission in that regard, or is it too soon to tell? And what does it say, too, that we're talking about an indictment that goes back to 2020? Well, first off, what an incredible picture. This picture shows Nicolás Maduro in chains, blindfolded, on a ship after being captured by elite special forces. This picture is a proof of life, certainly, but this picture is also a message to others in Venezuela that have been indicted, that have been sanctioned about, ostensibly, what their future could look like, and is a very powerful image in that regard. Now, as we wait for the president to speak, we are expecting him to say that this was about narcoterrorism. If that was the case, if this was about narcoterrorism, then the cleanup is not complete. Nicolás Maduro was indicted back in 2020 at the time, along with 14 other individuals. There are dozens of individuals and entities that have been indicted and sanctioned for narcoterrorism-related reasons. So if this is really about narcoterrorism, there are a range of other actions we could see unfold in the coming days, in the coming weeks to bring individuals that have been charged and sanctioned to justice. And part of the conversations behind the scenes with those individuals may be about relinquishing power, giving themselves up to avoid a fate like Nicolás Maduro. The president noted too this morning that while this is about, he said, getting the drugs off the streets and how it's impacting Americans here, he was asked about the oil. I mean, Venezuela has a lot of it. And he said that we will likely be involved in some kind of way. Talk to about how it complicates factors there. Well, Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves. At its peak, Venezuela was contributing about 5% of global oil output. That figure is now infinitesimally smaller, less than 1%. The oil reserves in Venezuela, under a best-case scenario, are going to need years of revitalization and investment. They have suffered significantly under sanctions and have really declined because of a lack of upkeep and other factors. So one of the outstanding questions is whether President Trump and the administration will look at, under certain circumstances, really based on who takes power next, lifting sanctions, lifting prohibitions on US and international companies investing in and operating in Venezuela to help bring their oil fields back online in an efficient way to revitalize their heavy industrial base. Venezuela, years ago, did contribute to steel and aluminum manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, agriculture accounted for a good portion of its economy. So one of the questions is not just who comes into power, but if that new government is friendly with the Trump administration, if sanctions and other prohibitions on doing business in Venezuela, investing in Venezuela, whether those prohibitions will be lifted. If that is the case, that will certainly have implications for businesses globally and also, importantly, for the people of Venezuela who have suffered so much under the economic pressure inflicted by the Maduro regime, which has invited the sanctions and other prohibitions on doing business with investing in Venezuela.
JERICKA DUNCAN:
00:03:53
All right, Samantha Vinograd, thank you.
