[Keilar:] Venezuela is a country in political chaos with an international community that is taking sides and U.S. diplomats who are caught in the middle. Right now, there are two declared leaders. You have Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and self-proclaimed president, Juan Guaido, which is why there is a challenge here. You have President Trump, along with leaders from Canada, the E.U., many Latin-American governments, throwing their support behind Guaido, all Latin-American governments, we should say. Maduro, though, is still backed by the military and key countries, like Russia, Turkey, China, Mexico. Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Bill Richardson, has served as an election observer in Venezuela. He has met Maduro many times. In fact, he just saw him a few weeks ago. And he's joining us now. First, you saw him a few weeks ago in Mexico. Tell us about that.
[Bill Richardson, Former U.s. Ambassador To The U.n:] I did. This was the inauguration of the Mexican president, Manuel Lopez Obrador. I had known Maduro when I dealt on hostage issues with President Chavez. Maduro was a foreign minister. We had a brief interchange, Maduro, and I, because I know him. But he looked a little nervous because he had not been greeted by the Mexican public very well, in the Mexican legislature. He had been booed enormously and he had only attended this kind of VIP luncheon. I could tell he was nervous.
[Keilar:] Mexico backs him, it is clear, but clearly a lot of Mexicans do not. When he was looking at diplomats who Maduro is saying, you're not welcome here, you have two days to leave the country, because he said 72 hours a day ago, and the president is saying, you're going to stay put, what does that mean for the U.S. diplomats in Venezuela?
[Richardson:] It's risky for our diplomats. However, we have a lot of security at the embassy. I don't think Maduro would mess with our diplomats. But I think it was a bold move by the administration, for the AOS, by several Latin-American countries, a majority, to say we're not recognizing Maduro anymore. We're recognizing Guaido, even though Guaido doesn't have much power. He has a little bit of military support but enormous popular support. So I think what we need to do, the international community, is push for the military to say, let there be a free and fair election. I think that should be the diplomacy following the hardline sanctions and efforts of a number of Latin-American countries to basically isolate Maduro. Because Maduro has been he's divided the opposition, he's been skillful in keeping his power, but now, you know, this is a crucial point with this new young leader, because the opposition had been very divided. A 35- year-old guy who has captured the imagination of the Venezuelans. But there's also massive inflation, a lot of corruption, the food prices are out of control. So maybe this is going to be a sign to Maduro that he's got to compromise.
[Keilar:] You worked with AOS certifying Maduro's first election. That's important to note that you were in Venezuela for that. How do you think this leadership struggle is going to play out?
[Richardson:] Well, in the end, it's going to be up three players. One is the Cubans. The Cubans help Maduro with security, with political support. They have to recognize that there has to be a change. The second is Mexico. Mexico is supporting the government is Lopez Obrador is supporting Maduro while most Latin-American countries are not. And then third, Brianna, is the military in Venezuela. They're key. They're the biggest power center. So far, Maduro has most of their support. But that is eroding. But I think the diplomacy should be get the Venezuelan military to insist that there should be free and fair elections internationally supervised. You know Maduro will probably run, but Guaido will run, and I think the reformist candidate will win. But the opposition in Venezuela has been divided. Now it seems to be unified with this young man that we've recognize. It was a pretty bold move to do what we're doing.
[Keilar:] So many of these different roles intersect the important news of the day. While I have you here, as the former governor of New Mexico, I want to ask you about, we're in the shutdown, right? We're in day 34, second paycheck about to be missed. The president recently adopted a new slogan, which is, "Build the wall and the crime will fall." Our Ed Lavandera actually reported from a tunnel at the border and the sheriff he spoke with there does not agree with the president.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] The wall is actually the international borderline. And this black passage you see is actually an old tunnel that was used by smugglers and Mexican authorities have sealed it off. But this is what it looks like underground here.
[Tony Estrada, Sheriff, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department:] I think we have the world record as far as tunnels are concerned, over 100, maybe 110, 120 drug tunnels. The more difficult you make it for them, the more creative they're going to be.
[Lavandera:] That's a lot of tunnels.
[Estrada:] That's a lot of tunnels. And at some point, you wonder if there will be a huge sinkhole on this side of the border.
[Keilar:] First, crime has not been rising because of this, we should point out. But there you see the challenge against a wall. What is your reaction to all of this?
[Richardson:] Well, look, Brianna, I was a border governor. I dealt with border issues. There has not been an increase in illegal immigration through borders. It's through tunnels, it's through ports of entry, it's through the ocean, the Coast Guard. It's not through having a wall. It's overly expensive. It's not going to work. People will climb over the wall. They'll go under, as the tunnel shows. I think president and the Congress need to come to an agreement that, more what is needed is more border security. I'm for that, more detection equipment, more Border Patrol agents, more overflights. But a wall is symbolic to the president's political base. But I think now, with day 33, so many travel, TSA employees, my state is being hurt a lot, businesses, federal workers there. We're state-dependent on federal workers, so is the whole country. I'm flying out of here. I don't know if I'm going to get out with some of the TSA employees they're not getting their paychecks. These are honorable people that shouldn't be treated this way.
[Keilar:] Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us.
[Richardson:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] Bill Richardson, former ambassador to the U.N., we appreciate you being here. Just moments from now, the Senate is going to vote on two bills that are going to fail. These are live pictures of the Senate floor ahead of these votes. Plus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi playing hardball, and she wins. Why did President Trump concede so quickly over the State of the Union address?