Since U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on January 3, companies have made significant plays for Venezuela’s mineral resources.
According to official disclosures, at least seven companies have hired lobbying firms with close connections to the Trump White House to lobby the administration on accessing Venezuelan oil and natural resources, and related issues such as permissions to operate.
The growing line of Venezuela-related lobbying by Trump-linked firms underscores the view that getting favored treatment from U.S. agencies entails gaining access to top U.S. officials through people with insider access — and some of those U.S. agencies exercise significant control over who does business with the Latin American country’s oil industry.
Indeed, Brian Ballard, president of Ballard Partners, the deeply Trump-linked lobbying firm winning several new clients after Maduro’s capture, said on a recent podcast that “there’s eight or 10 people in the administration on all the issues that really matter that come to him [President Donald Trump] directly.”
“Big decisions are made by him after he hears all the evidence. And I think that’s unique,” Ballard said, remarking on how much decision-making is centralized in the Trump presidency and how his firm has access to people close to the president. “We’ve had the pleasure of knowing these folks for a long, long time, and so it gives us an advantage.”
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The administration’s initial deals with companies to sell Venezuela’s oil, potential corruption, and other concerns with the handling of Venezuelan mineral resources have led Democratic lawmakers to ask pointed oversight questions in letters to the White House and federal agencies, including as recently as this month.
The White House dismissed questions about whether the administration played favorites with the businesses being allowed access to Venezuela’s natural resources. “The media’s continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers in an email to POGO. “Thanks to President Trump, great progress has quickly been made in Venezuela--critical minerals, mining, oil and gas, and other industries are moving at ‘Trump Speed’ to invest in newfound Venezuelan markets.”
Crime & Courts Correspondent
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