President Donald Trump himself is controlling the release of funds garnered from Venezuela, an administration official told Semafor, in another sign of the leverage he wields over the country. Semafor first reported that the Trump administration had completed its first oil sale, valued at $500 million, and that many of the funds are being held in Qatar. Interim president Delcy Rodríguez revealed that $300 million of those funds were released to Venezuela this week. The Trump administration official told Semafor that all of the funds from the first sale will be given to Venezuela because its current government has “fully cooperated” with the US. But it’s unclear whether any of the funds will be held in the US; the official told Semafor proceeds from sales “will first settle in US controlled…
President Donald Trump himself is controlling the release of funds garnered from Venezuela, an administration official told Semafor, in another sign of the leverage he wields over the country. Semafor first reported that the Trump administration had completed its first oil sale, valued at $500 million, and that many of the funds are being held in Qatar. Interim president Delcy Rodríguez revealed that $300 million of those funds were released to Venezuela this week. The Trump administration official told Semafor that all of the funds from the first sale will be given to Venezuela because its current government has “fully cooperated” with the US. But it’s unclear whether any of the funds will be held in the US; the official told Semafor proceeds from sales “will first settle in US controlled accounts at globally recognized banks.” Trump’s top advisers are “constantly engaged in positive discussions with oil companies that are ready and willing to make unprecedented investments in Venezuela,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.