President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's interim president, for the job has done since taking over for deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro was captured by U.S. forces and returned to New York to face federal drug-trafficking charges.
"Delcy Rodriguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with U.S. Representatives very well," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!"
It is the second straight day Trump has praised Rodriguez's performance.
Appearing Tuesday in the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump raised the idea of implementing what he called the "Venezuela model."
He suggested it could shape how Iran's government might look after the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation ends.
The Trump administration has worked through Rodriguez while leaving much of the country's security and governing apparatus intact.
"Venezuela was so incredible because we did the attack and we kept government totally intact," Trump said in remarks that aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform. "And we have Delcy, who's been very good.
"We have the whole chain of command, and they've been, you know, the relationship has been great.
"We've taken out 100 million barrels of oil already. And a big part of that goes to them, and a big part goes to us. And it's been great.
"We paid for the war many times over, and we're going to be running the oil, and Venezuela is going to make more money than they ever made. And that's great for the people.
"The relationship has been great. It's been seamless. Nobody has actually ever seen anything like it."
Trump's comments came amid a report Tuesday that the Department of Justice is building a legal case against Rodriguez, including preparing a draft criminal indictment, one of several tools it is using to strengthen its leverage with Caracas.
Federal prosecutors have assembled potential corruption and money laundering charges and have warned Rodriguez she risks prosecution unless she continues complying with Trump's demands.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche denied the report Tuesday on X.
"Completely FALSE from @reuters," Blanche wrote. "Not sure how such fake news makes its way to publication."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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