The Rest Is Classified – Episode 114

"Intelligence Scoop: How Trump Captured Maduro in Venezuela (Ep 1)"
Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: David McCloskey (former CIA analyst and spy novelist), Gordon Corera (veteran security correspondent)

Episode Overview

In this electrifying emergency episode, David McCloskey and Gordon Corera put regular programming on hold to deliver a deep dive into "Operation Absolute Resolve," the unprecedented US-led mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. With perspectives honed by real-world intelligence work and reporting, they unpack how the CIA, US military special forces, and a web of human and technological assets orchestrated the apprehension of Maduro in Caracas – all against the backdrop of long-simmering US-Venezuela tensions. This first part concentrates strictly on operational details – the intelligence buildup, the raid itself, and the spycraft that made it possible – deliberately postponing debates over legality or broader geopolitical motives to the next episode.

Setting the Stage: Why Venezuela? ([04:00])

• Context of Tension:

  • Venezuela, under Chávez (since 1999) and later Maduro (from 2013), has long been at odds with the US over oil, drugs, and alliances with adversaries (China, Russia, Iran).
  • Maduro accused as "narco-terrorist," using drugs as a weapon against the US; reward for his capture raised to $50M.
  • "Venezuela and the U.S. have been on this kind of collision course for years." – Gordon Corera [05:00]

• Escalating Campaign:

  • Obama and later Trump-era indictments; economic collapse; contentious elections.
  • Tactics reminiscent of anti-Escobar operations, but with higher stakes and a far grander military scale.

The Pressure Campaign & Military Buildup ([06:00–14:54])

Militarization Beyond Precedent

• 2015–2025: A Shift from Law to War

  • Summer 2025: Trump signs secret directive for military operations against drug cartels, including maritime strikes ("35 such strikes, 115 people killed" [06:26]).
  • The "militarization of what had been a law enforcement issue" – US military enforcing the law in the Caribbean (David McCloskey).

• Allied Tensions

  • UK intelligence stops sharing certain data with the US, fearing legal complications.
  • "The Brits kind of felt like we do not want to be complicit in something which our lawyers are not convinced, you know, may be legal." – Gordon Corera [07:51]

• Force Projection

  • Massive US buildup: 15,000 troops/sailors, largest aircraft carrier (USS Gerald Ford), 25% of deployed Navy warships, carrier groups and support combatants, advanced aircraft (both manned and unmanned).
  • "It ends up being, by some estimates, the most significant sort of US military buildup in the region since Operation Uphold Democracy...in 1994." – David McCloskey [09:42]

Psychological and Covert Pressure

• Testing Defenses and Sending Messages

  • Surveillance flights, quasi-naval blockade of oil tankers.
  • CIA drone strike on Venezuelan port (late Dec 2025) – discussed openly by Trump & advisors, breaking tradition of deniability.
  • “Basically saying to Maduro, ‘We are going to keep increasing the military pressure on you and you can make this go away by leaving office...’ But he appears decided basically not to take that opportunity.” – Gordon Corera [12:26]

• Maduro’s "Defiance" as a Trigger

  • Public “dancing to electronic music” videos enraged Trump. "It may have been that the dancing was – was the last straw." – David McCloskey [14:07]
  • Car-interview video described as "almost unreal absurdity" – visuals likened to "carpool karaoke with James Corden." [14:54]

Unveiling Operation Absolute Resolve: The Intelligence Build-Up ([18:28–26:17])

Mission Framing & Legal Finesse

• "Law enforcement action in which Delta Force...are essentially the protection detail for US Law enforcement[...]”
  This was positioned as a legal apprehension, not a covert kill/capture op. (David McCloskey [18:28]; see parallel to bin Laden raid).

HUMINT: The Human Factor

• CIA Infiltration

  • Clandestine CIA officers (probably from "Ground Branch") infiltrate Caracas (Aug 2025) to collect intel on Maduro.
  • No embassy/diplomatic cover: high-risk operation.

• Deep-Cover Source

  • A key human source in Maduro’s inner circle reports on:
    • Bed-down locations (he rotates 6–8 safe houses),
    • Security routines, movements, diet, even pets.
    • “This person...seems to have played a really vital role, you know, in identifying and building this pattern of life that was so critical to the way the operation went down.” – David McCloskey [22:29]
  • Source exposed/leaked quickly after; possible extraction. Press consensus: Source was a senior government official.

SIGINT/TECH: The Electronic Web

• Communications & Surveillance

  • Likely electronic compromise of Maduro’s/Wife’s phones.
  • Detailed mapping of residences, possible use of hidden cameras/sensors.

• Physical Prep

  • Replica of the targeted compound built for Delta Force to rehearse, reflecting SOPs from prior special ops (e.g., bin Laden [26:39]).

The Covert-Overt Raid: The Operation Unfolds ([27:38–44:09])

Tactical Planning

• Target Selection

  • Fort Tiuna, a huge Caracas military complex, chosen (timing based on Maduro’s presence, favorable weather, moon phase).
  • “On the face of it, a heavily fortified military base in Caracas doesn’t seem like the best place to snatch up, you know, the Venezuelan president.” – David McCloskey [27:38]

• Multilayered Force

  • Delta Force as primary SOF.
  • Task Force Orange/Centra Spike sets up jamming, beacons, gathers local intel.
  • Force synchronization across agencies, precision timing reliant on weather (“beholden...to the weather and the moon.” [31:27])

The Raid: Minute by Minute

• Launch and Ingress

  • Over 150 aircraft (drones, jets, bombers, EW platforms) from 20+ bases/ships move toward Caracas ([33:42]).
  • Insertion force (Delta/FBI HRT) in Chinooks flying at ~100ft above water ("terrain masking").
  • Mountain range provides cover approaching Caracas; final approach coincides with disabling local power and air defenses.

• Power Down, Defenses Struck

  • "The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a, quote, certain expertise that we have..." – Donald Trump [35:08]
  • Cyber Command thanked; likely cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

• "Fast, Violent, Precise"

  • Delta Force descends via fast-rope just after 2am.
  • Explosive breach: Rapid movement through steel-reinforced compound.
  • US "knew what the inside...looked like" – level of tactical prep akin to, or better than, Abbottabad [26:18, 37:23].
  • 3 minutes from door breach to reaching Maduro; 5 minutes total to apprehend.
  • "If you would have seen the speed, the violence, it, it was an amazing thing...like I was watching a television show." – Donald Trump (Fox News interview recounted by Gordon Corera) [39:59]

• Resistance and Casualties

  • Sabotage and direct fighting: up to 80+ Venezuelan/Cuban dead (likely Maduro security detail).
  • One US service member slightly injured; one helicopter hit but remains operational.

• Apprehension and Exfiltration

  • Maduro and wife cuffed, loaded onto helicopters, quick exfil under continued cover (self-defense airstrikes as they depart).
  • Transferred: compound → USS Iwo Jima (offshore) → Guantanamo Bay → Manhattan by FBI plane.
  • “One minute you’re asleep in your bed, you know, and then a few hours later you’re in, you’re in Brooklyn Detention Center.” – Gordon Corera [43:42]

Post-Operation Reflections & Notable Revelations ([44:05–46:46])

• Operational Success but Strategic Uncertainty

  • "In the narrow sense of a mission of a raid, it was remarkably successful, wasn’t it?" – Gordon Corera [44:09]
  • No US fatalities; at least 80 adversaries dead.

• Zero Congressional Notification

  • "There was zero notification to Congress. Right. Nobody in Congress knew, including nobody in the Gang of Eight..."
    – David McCloskey [44:28]
  • Yet NYT and Washington Post had embargoed details pre-operation for security.

• Further Stages Possible

  • "This is just one stage of a larger plan and that there are further stages that can be executed depending on kind of how things shake out in Venezuela..." – Jack Murphy (cited by McCloskey) [45:20]

Key Memorable Quotes

• On the spectacle of power:
  “If you would have seen the speed, the violence, it, it was an amazing thing. I mean, it’s, it’s like Trump, the kind of the TV producer, the reality TV star...What a spectacle it was.”
  (Gordon Corera recounting Trump’s words, [39:59])

• On intelligence depth:
  "The intelligence they were collecting was detailed enough to map his residence, to know what he was eating and to know what pets he kept."
  (Gordon Corera, [24:09])

• On the blend of law and war:
  “You could look at the entire operation really as a law enforcement action in which Delta Force operators, the Air Force, the Navy are essentially the protection detail for US Law enforcement, the Department of Justice guys.”
  (David McCloskey, [18:28])

• On mission’s secrecy:
  "It’s possible that reporters at the Times of the Post knew the administration knew Congress had no idea what was coming."
  (David McCloskey, [44:58])

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Details | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | Venezuela-US Tensions & Maduro’s Trajectory | History and context for Maduro’s targeting by US | 04:00–07:51 | | Shift from Law Enforcement to Militarization | Trump’s orders, military buildup, UK unease | 06:00–09:42 | | Pressure Tactics, Drone Strikes, the “Dancing” Trigger | CIA strikes, public messaging, Trump’s agitation | 11:23–14:54 | | Human Intelligence & Operational Prep | CIA infiltration, close source in Maduro’s circle | 18:28–26:17 | | Compound Selection, Task Force Orange, Intelligence Build | Delta/Task Force prep, technical and HUMINT assets | 27:38–31:27 | | Final Prep and Weather/Timing Delays | Moon phase/weather, Christmas window | 31:27–33:42 | | The Raid & Extraction | Power out, air defense suppression, the assault, exfil process | 34:34–43:42 | | Immediate Aftermath & Success Assessment | Casualties, Congressional silence, future phases | 44:05–46:46 |

Tone & Style

The episode is brisk, vivid, and laced with gallows humor and granular operational detail. The hosts blend precise intelligence analysis with personal color – comparing the mission to both classic spy fiction and reality TV spectacle. They’re careful to stick to what’s known, acknowledge the info deluge (often stemming from Trump himself), and highlight the unusual visibility (and sometimes absurdity) of a mission typically kept in the shadows.

Preview of Part II

Next episode (Wednesday) promises a look at deeper motives (“narco-terrorism,” oil, geopolitics), legal/ethical debate, and wider global implications – both for US partners and adversaries.

Essential Listening for:
True crime addicts, espionage fans, policy wonks, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of intelligence, global power, and 21st-century clandestine warfare.