Technically, the President of Venezuela, since the kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro by Donald Trump’s storm troopers in January of this year, has been former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

But is she really in charge? Or has she simply been allowed to remain in office as long as she continues to do Trump’s bidding, sitting quietly by while U.S. interests take over Venezuela’s lucrative oil exports to the tune of an estimated $13 billion in sales so far this year? [CNBC, July 27, 2026.]

The answer to that question became a little clearer this week when the U.S. State Department hailed the news of the Venezuelan government’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) . . . the same institution that Trump has recently described as being “corrupt and worthless.” [Middle East Eye, July 26, 2026.]

In a post on X, the State Department said that the ICC’s investigation into Maduro had produced “no result,” and added:

“The ICC has instead wasted its resources on investigating and charging persons from countries that have competent, independent judicial systems and which never submitted to the jurisdiction of the court.* This is blatant overreach, political bias and selective enforcement” . . . adding that the Court is “neither credible, independent, nor legitimate. It is time to dismantle the ICC.” [Id.]

[* Ed. Note: Possibly referring to outstanding ICC warrants against Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu.]

The statement further called for all ICC member states to “withdraw from the Rome Statute” — the international treaty that created the Court in 1998. There are currently 111 full and associate members.

However, the United States is not a member, having originally and repeatedly cited concerns over national sovereignty. The same holds true for autocratic states such as Russia, China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc., and others (including Israel) who would not grant oversight to an independent authority — which makes perfect sense if you are a nation that has committed, or might in the future be likely to commit, acts that could be considered war crimes or major human rights violations.

So is it a coincidence that Venezuela, a member of the ICC since the year 2000, has suddenly decided to withdraw from the organization that Donald Trump has sworn to annihilate? That seems doubtful . . . which raises the next question: What “incentive,” or pressure, did he apply to persuade Delcy Rodriguez that this is in the best interests of her nation? Or has Trump taken over as de facto president of a country of which he is not a citizen?

. . . which, if true, would open up a whole new can of worms . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/28/26