The Trump administration is reportedly planning to establish a permanent CIA presence on the ground in Venezuela following the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. That’s according to CNN, which spoke to several anonymous sources who outlined talks between the State Department and the CIA have weighed short- and long-term schemes to foster U.S. influence in Venezuela. One source told CNN, “State plants the flag but CIA is really the influence.” CIA officers were in Venezuela in the months leading up to the U.S. military strike targeting Maduro and his wife. The agency covertly installed a small team inside Venezuela in August to surveil Maduro, providing key intelligence for the attack on Caracas earlier this month. One CIA source reportedly operated within the Maduro government.