Biden CIA Operations Against Venezuela and Maduro

Reported and Surmised Activities

U.S. intelligence operations targeting Venezuela's government under President Nicolás Maduro have been a consistent feature of American policy across multiple administrations, though the Biden years were marked more by diplomatic maneuvering than aggressive covert action. Recent revelations from President Trump's authorization of CIA operations in October 2025 have cast a spotlight backward on what intelligence activities may have continued during the Biden administration from 2021 to 2024, revealing a complex picture of sanctions-based pressure, law enforcement operations disguised as counter-narcotics efforts, and allegations of coup plotting that remain disputed.

The most concrete evidence of U.S. intelligence activities during the Biden era emerged in February 2024 when the Associated Press obtained a secret DEA memo detailing Operation Money Badger, a covert program that deployed undercover operatives into Venezuela to build drug-trafficking cases against Maduro and his inner circle. The 2018 memo, which predated Biden's presidency but continued into his term, acknowledged that the operation was conducted unilaterally without notifying Venezuelan officials and was arguably a violation of international law. While the memo originated during the Trump administration, reporting indicates the operation may have continued in some form during Biden's tenure, though the administration shifted focus toward diplomatic engagement and brought fewer new prosecutions of Maduro insiders compared to the previous administration.

The Biden administration's approach to Venezuela represented a marked departure from Trump's maximum pressure campaign, attempting instead to use conditional sanctions relief as leverage to encourage free and fair elections. In October 2023, following negotiations between Maduro's government and the opposition in Barbados, the administration lifted select economic sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector, allowing companies like Chevron to resume operations. This gambit sought to incentivize democratic reforms ahead of the July 2024 presidential election, but when Maduro violated the terms of the agreement by barring opposition candidates and ultimately claiming victory in what international observers deemed a fraudulent election, the administration reimposed sanctions in April 2024. Throughout this period, Venezuelan authorities accused the CIA and DEA of orchestrating multiple coup attempts and assassination plots, announcing the arrest of 32 people in January 2024 for alleged involvement in five violent schemes supposedly backed by U.S. intelligence agencies. While the State Department categorically denied involvement in any coup plots, the pattern of accusations, prisoner exchanges including the controversial release of Maduro ally Alex Saab, and the arrest of Americans in Venezuela throughout 2024 suggested an ongoing shadow conflict between Washington's intelligence apparatus and Caracas, even as the Biden administration publicly emphasized diplomatic solutions.