U.S. Denies Reuters Report on Allegations of Corruption and Money Laundering Against Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez

Original article: “Completamente falso”: EE.UU. desmiente a Reuters por supuesta acusación de corrupción y lavado contra Delcy Rodríguez

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche categorically refuted a report from Reuters today, claiming that the Trump administration was preparing criminal charges against interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez for alleged corruption and money laundering.

Blanche took to platform X to express his strong disapproval of the information shared by the British agency.

«Completely FALSE from Reuters. Not sure how such fake news makes its way to publication,» Blanche wrote in a post that included a screenshot of the news report, just minutes after it began circulating online.

The promptness of the Deputy Attorney General’s response highlighted the U.S. government’s concern to distance itself from claims that, if true, would represent a significant shift in bilateral relations with Venezuela.

The original Reuters report, citing four alleged anonymous sources familiar with the matter, claimed that the U.S. Department of Justice was drafting an indictment against Delcy Rodríguez. The agency suggested that the alleged charges were related to corruption and money laundering offenses connected to the Venezuelan state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), within a legal framework allegedly orchestrated by federal prosecutors in Miami.

According to the news agency, these judicial moves would be part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to maintain influence over Venezuelan leadership following the abduction of constitutional President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during a military operation on January 3.

After the power vacuum created by Maduro’s forced absence, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) appointed Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president.

Since Rodríguez assumed power, the Republican magnate has publicly stated they have established cooperation mechanisms.

«We are getting along so well with the people representing Venezuela that I don’t think it’s necessary to carry out the second phase (of military intervention),» the White House occupant remarked to oil investors.

He has also referred to the interim president of the Caribbean nation as a «great person.»

«We’ve worked very well with her,» he recently declared, while Rodríguez highlighted that the dialogue with Washington has developed «within a framework of mutual respect,» aimed at addressing «a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending issues between our governments.»

This scenario makes the existence of an ongoing criminal charge against the current Venezuelan president inconsistent.

Venezuelan Government Rejects Media Operation

The Venezuelan authorities joined in refuting the information, labeling the version published by Reuters as «fake news and unfounded.»

The Ministry of Popular Power for Communication and Information (MINCI) released a statement expressing its strongest rejection of the content published, reaffirming its commitment to defending the truth against what it called «a new attempt at media manipulation.»

In its official account on X, MINCI explained that the government set a «firm and strong position to refute the publication» and warned against the irresponsible dissemination of information that lacks journalistic rigor and can generate confusion in national and international public opinion.

The official rebuttal arose after the information platform Miraflores al Momento (@AlMomento_M) —the official space of the National Executive on the social network X— shared the content from Reuters, activating verification and response mechanisms by Venezuelan authorities.