Venezuela’s vice president demands US free Maduro and calls him country’s rightful leader

Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez said on Saturday that Nicolás Maduro remains the leader of the country and called for the United States to free him.

In a televised address to the nation that lasted less than 15 minutes, Rodríguez left open the door for dialogue with the US while also seeking to calm ruling party supporters.

“Here, we have a government with clarity, and I repeat and repeat again … we are willing to have respectful relations,” she said, referring to the Trump administration.

“It is the only thing we will accept for a type of relationship after having attacked (Venezuela).”

Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro.

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There was no confirmation that had happened, though she did issue a statement demanding proof of life for Maduro and his wife.

Maduro and his wife, seized overnight from their home on a military base, were aboard a US warship on their way to New York to face prosecution for a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The legal authority for the operation was not immediately clear, though the Trump administration described it — and earlier deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea — as necessary to stem the flow of dangerous drugs.

President Donald Trump also revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other nations.

Trump also claimed the US government would help run the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate signs of that.

Venezuelan state TV continued to air pro-Maduro propaganda, broadcasting live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.