Venezuelan Military Defectors Are Asking for Support; Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Says Robert Mueller Probe Is Almost Finished
GORANI: Welcome back. We continue our breaking news coverage on Brexit votes taking place -- or that took place in the House of Commons behind me. But we also want to check in on what's happening in the Venezuela with those anti-government protests and, of course, a very difficult situation for that country economically, with two men claiming to be the president of Venezuela. Our Nick Paton Walsh is now in Bogota, Colombia, but he spent several days undercover in Venezuela, covering the anti-government protests and also the very difficult situation ordinary Venezuelans find themselves in. Nick joins me now with his latest reporting -- Nick.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, tension rising ahead of protests called for tomorrow, for the opposition to get out on the streets, their leader, the man who declared himself interim president, Juan Guaido, has really been put in charge of the Venezuelan bank accounts frozen by the U.S. That's a potential source of funds but at the same time, too, the Maduro government's attorney general has suggested he'll be investigating Mr. Guaido. What does this mean? We absolutely have to wait and see in 24 hours ahead. But we have been speaking to Venezuelan army defectors, who are trying to get to their colleagues inside the country to rise up and they have appealed directly for the United States for arms.</s>WALSH (voice over): Hunger often explodes as rage on Venezuelan streets and it's not ousted Maduro's government as the military generals have their backs. The defense minister tweeted his soldiers would die for the government. Yet, while the rank and file express support in videos like this, they tell us they're suffering like everyone else. Some Venezuelan officers have even defected and, outside the country, have appealed on TV for a military uprising. But their supporters haven't reached critical mass. And now they tell us they want the White House to arm them. "As Venezuelan soldiers, we're making a request to the U.S.," he says, "to support us in logistical terms with communication, with weapons, so we can realize Venezuelan freedom. We're not saying we need only U.S. support, but also from Brazil, Colombia, Peru, all brother countries that are against this dictatorship. They show me the WhatsApp groups plotting rebellion they hope reach thousands of soldiers, but they also rejected any possible military intervention by U.S. forces themselves. "We don't want a foreign government invading our country," he says. "If we lead an incursion, it has to be by --</s>WALSH (voice-over): -- "Venezuelan soldiers who really want to free Venezuela. Now we're unifying all those military groups working towards freedom to create a really big one that could be decisive. The appeal for U.S. help comes after military uprising have seen little success so far. This group of soldiers in Caracas, over a week ago, staged a rebellion. It was short lived and ended in their reported arrest. In a basement car park in Caracas, I met a serving soldier, afraid to be identified, as he spoke of the chance of an uprising. There are soldiers in every unit, he says, that are willing to rise up in arms. They're preparing themselves and learning from past mistakes. They're waiting for the right moment so they can hit even harder so people feel it. A few units are missing weapons and ammunition to, taken for this purpose. Past operations have failed because the higher ranking officers were against it. They control every area still. And if an uprising happens, it's swiftly neutralized. But he's heard messages to rise up from defectors and says they do inspire. It's a very positive message, he says, because somehow they give us hope. They are outside Venezuela, but feed our soul and inspire us. But in the army for now, as elsewhere in Venezuela, it's a handful of elite keeping down many below them.</s>WALSH: Now we have seen over the last few hours, last days, speculation about U.S. military involvement mounting partly because the national security adviser, John Bolton, very conspicuously walked around with a notepad, saying "5,000 troops to Colombia," denied here as something that's about to happen but probably all part of a White House's bid to mount pressure on Nicolas Maduro. I have to say, inside, you don't feel they're about to crumble but we simply don't know what the absence of that money now held by U.S. sanctions will do to the Venezuelan elites. Back to you.</s>GORANI: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thanks very much. A quick report on what's happening in U.S. politics. The acting attorney general in the United States has suggested that the Mueller investigation is close to wrapping up. Stephen Collinson is in Washington, D.C., with the very latest on that. Tell us more about what you know and what happens once that report is finally issued.</s>STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Hala, well, this came as a bit of a shock and has perturbed a lot of Democrats. Matt Whitaker, the acting attorney general, came out and said yesterday that the Mueller probe is close to wrapping up and that the Department of Justice would review its findings. That put a lot of Democrats, who believe that Matt Whitaker was put in the Justice Department to replace Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, to help Trump thwart the release of the Mueller report. That made them very, very worried. The question is, how much does Matt Whitaker know? And how long is he going to be there? To be charitable, many people in Washington believe he was overpromoted. And we have been going through the process of confirming a new attorney general, William Barr, who's got every chance of being in the Justice Department by February. So although Matt Whitaker caused a real stir here about the release of the report, it's possible he won't be in place for much longer and won't be able to influence what happens.</s>GORANI: Stephen Collinson in Washington, thanks very much. We'll be right back with more Brexit breaking news.