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The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, appears on the list of potential witnesses in the federal trial taking place this month in Miami against former Republican Congressman of Cuban origin David Rivera, who is accused of participating in a scheme to influence Washington's policy toward Venezuela during Donald Trump's first term.
The judicial process will begin on March 16 with jury selection in a federal court in South Florida, according to reports from EFE.
Rivera will be tried alongside his alleged associate, a former political consultant named Esther Nuhfer, who is also said to have participated in those failed efforts in 2017.
The case revolves around allegations of undercover lobbying in favor of interests linked to the government of the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Rubio among the potential witnesses of the trial
According to documents submitted by the Southern District of Florida Prosecutor's Office, Rubio is part of a list of 30 people who may be called to testify during the proceedings. The group also includes current and former officials from the State Department, some of whom are already retired.
The inclusion of the current head of U.S. diplomacy has garnered particular attention due to his long political relationship with Rivera, dating back to the 1990s.
Both emerged in that decade as young Republican figures of Hispanic origin in Florida's politics, and during their early days, they even shared a house in Tallahassee while working in the state legislature.
Rubio, who later became a senator and now leads the Department of State, has been known for years for maintaining a critical stance against the governments of Cuba and Venezuela, publicly denouncing both the Castro regime and that of Maduro.
Accusations of covert lobbying
Federal prosecutors allege that Rivera operated as an agent of a foreign power without registering with U.S. authorities, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
According to the accusation, the former congressman allegedly received over five million dollars to undertake efforts aimed at influencing Washington's policy towards Venezuela.
The investigation indicates that Rivera signed a consultancy agreement for 50 million dollars with a U.S. subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. As part of that contract, he reportedly received an initial payment of five million dollars.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, that money was used to facilitate contacts and meetings with officials from the U.S. government during Trump’s first term, with the aim of promoting a potential easing of the sanctions imposed on Caracas.
Among the actions mentioned in the court documents is a meeting in which Rivera allegedly attempted to convince U.S. authorities that the Maduro government was willing to negotiate what were considered legitimate elections.
The defense denies the accusations
Rivera, who was arrested and charged with the offenses in December 2022, has denied all charges and pleaded not guilty.
His legal team argues that his contacts and conversations in Washington between 2017 and 2018 were aimed at exploring avenues to provoke political changes in Venezuela and weaken the control of chavismo, not to support it.
The prosecutors, however, argue that the former legislator was at the center of an operation to persuade the Trump administration to ease sanctions against the Venezuelan government, while also opening the door for major American energy companies to return to the South American nation's oil market.
An investigation that reaches figures in Washington
The case has implicated several influential figures in the U.S. political landscape.
Among the names mentioned in judicial documents are the current White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles; former presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway; Republican Congressman Pete Sessions; and lobbyist Brian Ballard.
Federal authorities have also seized 24 million dollars and five properties related to the investigation.
Who is David Rivera?
Rivera was born in New York in 1965, the son of Cuban parents. The family moved to Florida in 1974. He studied Political Science at Florida International University.
He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010, where he chaired the rules committee and later the appropriations committee. In the latter, he sponsored a measure that prohibits Florida's higher education institutions from funding research trips to Cuba.
From 2011 to 2013, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Florida's 25th Congressional District.
In addition, he has served the Republican Party as a member of the Florida State Republican Committee and as the executive director of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County.
A trial with political repercussions
The judicial process has sparked great interest in the United States, especially regarding potential revelations about foreign influence attempts in Washington and the relationship between American politicians and international actors.
The trial could also shed new light on the efforts made during one of the most tense periods in the relationship between the United States and Venezuela, marked by economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and disputes over the legitimacy of Maduro's government.
With the potential appearance of high-profile figures like Rubio, the process promises to draw national attention and become one of the most closely watched political cases in Florida's federal courts.
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