‘15 Minutes Or We’d Be Killed’: Leaked Audio Reveals Venezuela's Power Panic After Maduro's Capture

Last Updated:January 24, 2026, 22:09 IST

The audio surfaced a day after reports claimed Rodríguez had formed a secret “alliance” with the United States to manage a controlled transition of power.

Venezuela Interim President Delcy Rodriguez. (Image: REUTERS)

A newly leaked audio surfaced on social media platforms featuring Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez where she can be heard claiming that when US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro, she and other members of his cabinet were given 15 minutes to decide whether to comply with Washington’s demands – “or they would kill us".

The audio surfaced a day after reports claimed Rodríguez had formed a secret “alliance" with the United States to manage a controlled transition of power. According to those reports, Rodríguez had been in contact with US officials since November 2025 and was prepared to step in after Maduro’s removal, which she reportedly told Washington was necessary, reported The Guardian.

In the leaked audio, recorded during a meeting of Maduro’s allies, Rodríguez, the former Vice-President who assumed power after the US attack, spoke for around six minutes, and described what she said were threats issued by US troops in the immediate aftermath of the operation. She claimed the threats began “from the very first minute they kidnapped the President".

She was heard saying that she was doing so only because the “threats and blackmail are constant".

“They gave Diosdado Cabello, Jorge Rodríguez and me 15 minutes to respond, or they would kill us," she said, referring to the interior minister and her brother, who was then head of the Assembly, reported the news outlet.

Rodríguez further alleged that US forces told her that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been killed, not kidnapped. She said she and Cabello were prepared to “share the same fate".

“Hurt to have to assume responsibilities in these circumstances," Rodríguez said, adding that the threats and what she described as blackmail were ongoing. She urged those present to act with “patience and strategic prudence", and called on officials to “preserve peace" and work to recover what she described as hostages.

“The only thing I would ask for is unity," Rodríguez reportedly said in her call to the group.

Before putting her on speakerphone, the then communications minister, Freddy Ñáñez, defended her, urging an end to what he called “gossip, rumours and attempts at discrediting". He described Rodríguez as “the only guarantee we have to bring back the president and the first lady — and also to turn the page and reconfigure our forces".

The leaked remarks have emerged amid growing scrutiny of Rodríguez’s reported dealings with Washington. The Guardian, citing sources, reported that US officials began secret communications with Rodríguez in November 2025, around the time US President Donald Trump publicly urged Maduro to step aside — a demand Maduro rejected.

According to one individual familiar with the discussions, Rodríguez signalled clearly that “Maduro needs to go" and told US officials she was willing to “work with whatever comes after" to avoid chaos and a collapse of the state.

On the day Maduro was captured, rumours circulated that Rodríguez had fled to Moscow. Later reports said she was on Margarita Island as events unfolded. On January 5, she returned to Caracas and was sworn in as acting president, replacing Maduro. Her brother Jorge Rodríguez also assumed a key role, in line with a transition framework said to have been negotiated months earlier.

News world ‘15 Minutes Or We’d Be Killed’: Leaked Audio Reveals Venezuela's Power Panic After Maduro's Capture

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