Is US Secretary of State Marco Rubio an embattled champion of Venezuelan democracy within the Trump administration, or the public face of a strategy aimed at keeping the old regime in power? Six months after Nicolás Maduro’s ouster, his record suggests democratic restoration is no longer an American priority—if it ever was.

CAMBRIDGE—On the classic American game show “To Tell the Truth,” three contestants claimed the same identity while a panel of celebrities questioned them, searching for inconsistencies. After the panelists cast their votes, the host delivered the famous request: “Will the real ___ please stand up?”