The U.S. on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to an Office of Foreign Assets Control entry on the Treasury Department website. Photo: PBS

The newly announced sanctions relief represents a strong signal that the U.S. recognizes Rodríguez as a legitimate authority in Venezuela ever since the U.S. military captured Rodríguez's predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife on Jan. 3 in Venezuela's capital, Caracas.

The pair have since been taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges and both have pleaded not guilty.

Venezuela's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rodríguez and her brother Jorge Rodríguez were hit with U.S. sanctions during Trump's first term for their role in allegedly undermining Venezuelan democracy.

The siblings — along with other members of Maduro's inner circle — were added to the Treasury's list in September 2018, months after Maduro won re-election in a contest widely considered a sham because opposition politicians and parties were banned from participating.

"Maduro has given Delcy Eloina Rodríguez Gomez and Jorge Jesus Rodríguez Gomez senior positions within the Venezuelan government to help him maintain power and solidify his authoritarian rule," Treasury said in a statement at the time.

Now, just months since Maduro's ouster, Rodriguez has led Venezuela's cooperation with the Trump administration, pitching her oil-rich nation to international investors and opening the nation up to private capital, international arbitration, and scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Maduro legally is still Venezuela's president.

In the hours after the Jan. 3 operation, the country's ruling-party-loyal high court declared his absence "temporary," effectively eliminating the need for a speedy election and preserving the protections the office grants him under international law. The court ordered Rodríguez to take office for up to 90 days with the possibility of extending it to six months if approved by the National Assembly, which is also controlled by the ruling party and presided over by her brother.

The 90-day period ends Friday.