How a top State Dept. official "went rogue" over Machado's Venezuela plans

The Trump administration's official position about Venezuela's exiled opposition leader is simple: Don't help Maria Corina Machado gain entry to her home country. But Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau didn't appear to get the memo.Landau is suspected of twice miscommunicating U.S. policy to two countries about Machado, according to seven senior administration officials.Why it matters: Landau's alleged freelancing roiled the State Department for two days and led to internal arguments, international confusion and increased tensions with Machado supporters."There's a widespread belief that Landau went rogue," one of the sources told Axios. "And the evidence supports that belief."Said another: "Marco isn't happy" with Landau, who's second only to Marco Rubio at the State Department.Driving the news: The controversy erupted after the June 24 earthquakes that rocked Venezuela and killed more than 3,500 people. Machado, living in exile in the U.S. without a valid Venezuelan passport, wanted to return to Venezuela to help with relief efforts.But administration officials interfered with her travel plans, telling Axios last week that they amounted to "gross political opportunism" that would interfere with recovery and relief efforts.Between the lines: The criticisms underscored the frayed relations between U.S. officials and Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She symbolically gifted her award to President Trump after he authorized the Jan. 3 raid that seized strongman Nicolas Maduro and extradited him to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.The U.S. elevated Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, to lead the country, which proved deeply unpopular with supporters of Machado, leader of the Venezuelan opposition. They want elections (Maduro stole his in 2024).The intrigue: Landau, 62, is a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and is the son of a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. He's suspected by senior Trump administration officials of opposing U.S. policy toward Caracas and being too close to Machado's inner circle."He's eerily incapable of saying anything positive about the interim authority [in Venezuela] or negative about Machado," one official said.Machado called Landau and several other administration officials the day after the earthquake to say she wanted to return to Venezuela by way of the Dutch-owned island of Curacao."She forum shopped," said another source, "and Landau was happy to help."Behind the scenes: In a conversation with the Netherlands' ambassador to the U.S., Birgitta Tazelaar, Landau appeared to advocate for Machado's travel to Curacao and then Venezuela, three sources told Axios."This is U.S. policy and it's supported by Secretary Rubio," Landau told Tazelaar, who relayed the conversation to an Axios source.Machado planned to stay at U.S. Consul General Ramon Chico's residence in Curacao.After the Landau conversation, the Dutch approved Machado's travel to Curacao, a needed permission because she didn't have a valid pa