Mauricio Claver-Carone

The U.S. Department of Energy faces criticism for delays in finalizing oil deals with American companies in Venezuela, despite President Trump's January promise to rapidly rebuild the country's oil industry. No new petroleum agreements have been completed eight months later, with industry insiders and officials citing internal divisions within the administration and the oil sector as obstacles.

President Trump advised against using Signal after his advisers accidentally sent war plans to The Atlantic's editor, but top officials continued using the app for group chats with auto-deletion settings. The State Department released records via FOIA litigation, revealing Signal chats between national security figures, including a group with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, raising concerns about compliance with federal record-keeping laws.

Harry Sargeant III, a Venezuela investor, sought to influence U.S. policy toward Nicolás Maduro by opposing Marco Rubio's hawkish stance and supporting Richard Grenell. Sargeant collaborated with Aaron Schock to orchestrate a public relations campaign aiming to ease sanctions and promote cooperation with Maduro's government.

California Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio about lobbyist Mauricio Claver-Carone's role in Venezuela, alleging he has been texting with acting President Delcy Rodríguez and brokering deals with the private sector.