Venezuela Foreign Lobbying and FARA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify as a prosecution witness in the federal trial of former Rep. David Rivera — which opened Monday in Miami — in an 11‑count case accusing Rivera and co‑defendant Esther Nuhfer of money‑laundering and failing to register as foreign agents after allegedly securing a $50 million, three‑month 2017 contract tied to Venezuela’s state oil interests (PDVSA/CITGO) brokered via then‑foreign minister Delcy Rodríguez and businessman Raúl Gorrín. Rubio — identified in the indictment as “U.S. Senator 1” and reported to have told the FBI a 2017 Gorrín meeting was pitched as discussing a “peaceful transition” — agreed to be called after defense signals; prosecutors say the case is about “greed and betrayal” and allege a secret lobbying pact for Nicolás Maduro, while Rivera’s defense contends the work was commercial consulting for a Citgo subsidiary and thus not subject to FARA.