Overview
- The New York Times report published Saturday says that since Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was taken into U.S. custody in January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acted as a de facto ruler of Venezuela from Washington.
- The report describes a Treasury-run system that collects most Venezuelan export revenue and routes those funds through Venezuelan private banks under spending conditions set by Rubio and the State Department.
- Interim president Delcy Rodríguez is portrayed as deferring to Rubio on high-level appointments, extraditions and foreign-policy moves, including following U.S. instructions about business ties and public statements.
- Scholars and rights figures quoted in coverage called the arrangement imperial or illegal and some said it could be impeachable, while media outlets amplified the New York Times account and highlighted Oval Office anecdotes about President Trump praising Rubio.
- Key elements of the story are reported by the New York Times and repeated by other outlets but have not been independently verified in the supplied coverage, and no formal responses from U.S. or Venezuelan officials are included.