The Chris Cuomo Project What Really Happened in Venezuela (and What Comes Next)
Jan 8, 2026
Rick de la Torre, former CIA Caracas Station Chief and founder of Tower Strategy, shares insights on the complex reality in Venezuela following recent U.S. interventions. He discusses the implications of retaining elements of the existing power structure for regional stability and the challenges that leaders like Maria Corina Machado and Juan Guaidó face in returning to power. The conversation also touches on the balance between military action and legal considerations, highlighting the shifting dynamics of oil and security in the region, and the nuanced motivations behind U.S. involvement.
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Nuance Over Binary Thinking
- Chris Cuomo argues the Venezuela operation forces a false binary: either condemn extralegal intervention or celebrate freeing Venezuelans.
- He says nuance matters because both the method and the outcome can be simultaneously problematic and beneficial.
Operation Driven By 'Easy Win' Logic
- Chris Cuomo says the primary reason for the operation was that Trump was told it would be an easy political and military win.
- Cuomo cautions the operation underestimated costs to Venezuelans and domestic legal norms despite military success.
Capability Isn't The Same As Willingness
- Cuomo notes Biden increased Maduro's arrest reward but didn't act because he judged a strike wrong, not capability-limited.
- He highlights differences in doctrine: capability versus willingness to violate norms for political gain.