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The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, testified this Tuesday in a federal court in Miami in the trial against former congressman David Rivera, who is accused of engaging in illegal activities in favor of the Venezuelan regime.
According to a report by CBS News, the prosecution claims that Rivera, along with Esther Nuhfer, participated in a scheme to influence the U.S. administration during Donald Trump's first term, aiming to relieve sanctions and reduce tensions with the government of Nicolás Maduro.
According to the accusation, both individuals allegedly received a contract of up to 50 million dollars for lobbying work in 2017 related to a U.S. subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, operated under the name CITGO.
During his testimony, Rubio stated that he was unaware of any connection between Rivera and the interests of the Venezuelan government when he held meetings with him.
He explained that in those meetings, there were discussions about supposed contacts within chavismo willing to facilitate a political transition, something he said he received with skepticism.
The current Secretary of State also noted that had he known that Rivera represented the interests of the regime, he would not have proceeded with any related dealings.
He added that one of the meetings was, in his words, a waste of time.
Rubio recalled that Rivera urgently contacted him in 2017 to discuss Venezuela and proposed the existence of figures within chavismo willing to have Maduro step down from power.
He even mentioned the alleged delivery of a letter addressed to then-President Trump, which never materialized.
The official also indicated that he informed the White House about these contacts, although he always had doubts about the accuracy of what was presented to him.
He emphasized that he was not aware that Rivera was working for interests linked to the Venezuelan regime.
At another point in his statement, Rubio described a second meeting in Washington with supposed intermediaries, which ended without any results and heightened his suspicions regarding the credibility of the operation.
The judicial process examines charges such as money laundering and violations of the foreign agents registration act.
Rivera has denied the accusations, and his defense argues that his actions were driven by commercial interests rather than illegal political activities.
The case gains relevance due to Rubio's involvement as a high-ranking active official, within the political context marked by Nicolás Maduro's exit from power and the ongoing transition process in Venezuela.
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