Democrats press Trump administration on Venezuela oil deal
The lawmakers homed in on the role of Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt.
Top House Democrats have written to the State and Justice departments, demanding answers from the Trump administration regarding a recent oil deal with Venezuela. The letter, addressed to Reps. Robert Garcia of the Oversight Committee, Gregory Meeks of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jared Huffman of the House Natural Resources Committee, questions the administration's choice of Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt to conduct business with.
The Democrats argue that Betancourt, who has a history of white-collar misdeeds, is an alleged criminal and are seeking information about his involvement in the deal. The letter also references ongoing investigations into Betancourt's alleged involvement in international money laundering and requests details about the Venezuela deal.
With the potential power to subpoena the administration if they win the House majority in the upcoming election, the Democrats are likely to focus on these inquiries as part of their agenda.
Brief written by urgent.news from Semafor's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
