"Good Night and 'Happy New Year", says Maduro as he makes the 'Perp-walk' to custody

The US released a video of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs staging the 'Perp-walk' as he was led to custody.

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007631142200189289?s=20

Meanwhile, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the powers and duties of acting president after the US removed Nicolas Maduro, CNN reported.

The order was announced on Saturday night (local time), concluding that Maduro is in a "material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions."

Rodriguez will "assume and exercise, as acting president, all the powers, duties, and faculties inherent to the office of president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation," according to the order, read by Justice Tania D'Amelio in a session broadcast by the state television channel VTV, as reported by CNN.

Venezuela's constitution states that when there is a temporary or absolute absence of the president, the person holding the vice presidency must replace them.

A plan to remove Maduro was given to Trump during his first term but did not go anywhere as administration officials were unable to keep the president "focused" on the issue, his former National Security Advisor John Bolton told CNN.

Bolton told CNN that Trump was already "very interested in the Venezuelan oil" during his first term.

He and his team were able to get Trump interested in the idea of removing Maduro but "couldn't keep him focused on it," Bolton said.

He also said the opposition in Venezuela at that time believed that economic pressure would be enough to split Maduro's regime.

The US launched what Trump called a "large scale strike against Venezuela" and captured Maduro, to face charges. It launched this regime change effort without the approval of Congress, as reported by CNN. (ANI)