Follow the money: Democrats demand to know where Venezuelan oil revenue is going
Three Democratic senators are pressing the Trump administration for transparency on billions of dollars in oil revenue from Venezuela believed to be in a U.S. government-controlled account.
In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) are asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for information about the status and use of this revenue, which is being disbursed from an account controlled by the Treasury.
After capturing President Nicolás Maduro in January, the Trump administration said it would take control of oil flowing from the South American nation, with proceeds from sales “deposited into accounts controlled by the U.S. government.”
For months, the senators write, officials have “failed to explain where that money has gone and whether any safeguards have been implemented to prevent misappropriation of Venezuela’s funds or potential Trump Administration corruption in directing them to politically favored insiders.” [Continue reading…]