Rubio Faces Witness Stand as Trial Exposes Venezuela Lobby Scandal

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify Tuesday in the federal trial of former U.S. Rep. David Rivera, a longtime political ally and former housemate accused of secretly lobbying for Venezuela’s government. The case, unfolding in Miami, reveals the murky world of high-stakes foreign influence operations in Latin America and highlights the political damage Rivera has inflicted on Rubio’s career.Rubio agreed to appear as a prosecution witness after learning Rivera’s defense team planned to call him to the stand — a move that could have embarrassed the secretary of state, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The timing is particularly fraught for Rubio, who is juggling multiple international crises including the fallout from the Iran war, the removal of Maduro’s government in Venezuela, and the planned U.S. takeover of Cuba.Rivera and his associate Esther Nuhfer face an 11-count indictment charging them with money laundering and failing to register as foreign agents on behalf of Nicolás Maduro’s government. Prosecutors allege Rivera struck a $50 million contract with CITGO, the Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, in 2017. In a 2020 civil lawsuit, PDVSA accused Rivera of breaching the agreement with Maduro’s administration. Rivera and Nuhfer maintain they did nothing wrong, arguing they represented CITGO — a U.S. entity — while pursuing oil deals with Exxon.Rubio’s testimony marks the first time in recent history that a sitting secretary of state has appeared in a criminal trial. Former aides say they’re not surprised he’s being compelled to testify, given his long-standing loyalty to Rivera despite multiple scandals. Even as Trump and Rubio competed for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Trump ran ads attacking Rubio’s ties to Rivera. “David always had schemes and we always tried to keep Marco away from him, but they were friends and there’s a loyalty thing,” one former aide told Axios. While ostensibly representing CITGO, Rivera met twice with Rubio in 2017 while the secretary was still a U.S. senator. Rubio is referred to in the indictment as “U.S. Senator 1.” In a 2020 FBI interview, Rubio said one of the meetings involved Venezuelan businessman and TV executive Raúl Gorrín and was meant to discuss “a peaceful transition of power” in Venezuela. That plan never materialized. Rivera’s team attempted to call Trump White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to testify because she worked as a lobbyist for Ballard Partners in 2017 when it represented Gorrín, but the judge denied the request.In opening statements Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz framed the case as “about two things: greed and betrayal.” He told jurors, “The evidence will show that for $50 million these two defendants made a pact to secretly lobby for Nicolás Maduro… and his second-in-command Delcy Rodríguez.” (Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s acting leader since Maduro’s arrest by U.S. forces in January on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.) Rivera’s attorney Ed Shohat likened the case to the TV show “Seinfeld,” calling it “a murder case without a murder and a drug case without drugs.” He argued Rivera sought to remove Maduro from power, not help him remain in office.

Reported by Caleb Frost (Reserve Desk Editor).
(Note: Caleb Frost is covering this desk while Eleanor Cross is on sick leave.)