A former Green Beret, Jordan Goudreau, accused of plotting an invasion of Venezuela in 2020 to overthrow Nicolás Maduro, has lashed out at the CIA and FBI, claiming they sabotaged his efforts to oust the leftist leader. Goudreau’s lawyers assert that he had the Trump administration’s support for the clandestine mission.
According to court filings, Goudreau had “authority from the highest levels of the executive branch” for the amphibious raid, which ended with several combatants killed and two of his U.S. Special Forces colleagues in a Venezuelan prison. Goudreau has also claimed that he met with U.S. officials, including one who briefly worked in Vice President Mike Pence’s office, and that he had the approval of Pence and other high-ranking officials.
In a video posted on social media, Goudreau congratulated the CIA and FBI on a job well done, saying that their efforts had emboldened Maduro and allowed him to be sworn in for a third term. The CIA and FBI have declined to comment on the allegations.
Goudreau was arrested in Manhattan last year on federal weapons smuggling charges in connection with the plot. His lawyers claim that he was recruited for the mission by Keith Schiller, a longtime personal bodyguard to President-elect Donald Trump, and that he was advised that the operation was sanctioned and approved by the executive branch.
The then-Trump administration had made no secret of its desire to see Maduro gone, and Goudreau’s security firm had signed a contract with opposition leader Juan Guaidó to explore a mission to seize Maduro. However, the Biden administration has raised the reward for Maduro’s capture to $25 million to protest his clinging to power.
Goudreau’s trial is set to begin in April, and prosecutors plan to present DNA evidence showing that he handled some of the 60 weapons he allegedly smuggled from Florida to Colombia.