Maduro uses Roger Carsten's visit to attack Jimmy Story & CIA

On 10 December this site revealed Roger Carsten's visit to Caracas:

@StateDept’s @StateSPEHA flew to Caracas aboard “Ebola plane” #N173PA to negotiate release of some political prisoners of @NicolasMaduro

First visit of a USG official, on official business, since Story left #talkingtoMaduro

— Alek Boyd “Plagiarism is theft” (@infodi0) December 10, 2021

A source reported that Carsten was to meet with Nicolas Maduro to try and negotiate freedom for some / all the Americans that are currently jailed in Venezuela (Citgo 6 and the fools that took part in Jordan Goudreau's / Juan Guaido's Gideon charade).

Carsten spent a couple days in Caracas but came out empty handed. Maduro, however, sort of confirmed meeting with Carsten and used it to attack Jimmy Story and the CIA:

“En estos días vino alguien de la CIA a verme. No voy a contar q hablé con él”,dice Maduro confirmando reunión con enviado de USA.
Dice q “ellos”sacaron la noticia porque era “secreta”y q no tienen palabra al tiempo q responsabiliza a James Story de haber filtrado la información. pic.twitter.com/bwJyfeOqQA

— Gabriela Gonzalez (@GabyGabyGG) December 16, 2021

It wasn't Story who leaked the info. Venezuelan plane spotter @Arr3ch0 revealed arrival of “Ebola plane” N173PA on 7 December. And it wasn't the CIA who "came to visit", but Carsten, in the first visit of a senior State Department official.

Maduro must have heard the story that Story continues to support Juan Guaido's "interim presidency", still advocates in Guaido's favour with superiors, and would very much like to keep sanctions regime in place to force some kind of negotiation.

Gossip has it that Maduro laughed at Carsten's "where you'd like to go, who you'd want to take with you..." offer. While Carsten's trip to Caracas marks a decisive departure from previous microphone diplomacy stance, policy has to be reformulated around the reality that Maduro is not in a weak position, doesn't have to comply with State / Treasury diktats, doesn't need to give an inch and his grip is, actually, stronger than ever thanks to USG policy under the Trump administration.