Marco Rubio Testifies in Trial of David Rivera
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify on Tuesday in the trial of his former roommate, David Rivera, a past Miami congressman. Rivera faces accusations of attempting to lobby Congress and the White House for Nicolás Maduro, former president of Venezuela.
During his testimony in a Miami federal courtroom, Rubio explained that he became “very close” with Rivera while they both served as Florida congressmen in the early 2000s. Rivera, a Republican, was arrested in December 2022 on charges related to money laundering and representing a foreign entity without proper registration.
In a conversation from July 2017, Rubio recalled that Rivera reached out urgently to discuss Venezuela. The following day, Rivera traveled to Washington and shared plans with attendees at his home about persuading Maduro to resign, aided by Venezuelan media figure Raul Gorin, who was his primary contact with Maduro’s administration.
Rubio expressed skepticism about the proposal, highlighting his concerns about Maduro’s government being filled with “double dealers” who often devise plots to betray him.
“But if there was a 1% chance that it was real and I had a role to play in alerting the White House, I was comfortable doing that,” Rubio stated. Shortly after, he used talking points provided by Rivera to craft and deliver a Senate floor speech emphasizing that the U.S. would not retaliate against Venezuelan officials who sought to oust Maduro. He noted, “There is no revenge or retaliation.”
According to the charges against Rivera, there’s been no evidence suggesting that Rubio acted improperly during his Senate tenure.
The indictment mentions a $50 million consulting agreement that Rivera entered into with the Venezuelan socialist government. It further details his involvement in a conspiracy aimed at easing tensions with the U.S., settling legal disputes with American oil companies, and lobbying to lift sanctions against Venezuela—all while failing to register as a foreign agent.
Prosecutors allege that Rivera and his co-defendants sought to arrange meetings between Delcy Rodriguez, who was then Foreign Secretary and is now acting president, and various U.S. officials, including members of Congress and executives from ExxonMobil in several cities.
To conceal their actions, they reportedly formed a chat group termed “MIA” (for Miami) and referred to Rubio with a phrase meaning “Little Cuba,” Rodriguez as “Lady in Red,” and the substantial funds involved as “Melon.”
In his opening statements, prosecutor Roger Cruz characterized the case as one of “greed and betrayal,” asserting that the evidence would illustrate that both defendants engaged in a $50 million scheme to lobby secretly on behalf of Maduro and Rodriguez.
Rivera, now 60, defends that his company, Interamerican Consulting, did not need to register as a foreign agent. His attorney argued that the contract was strictly about enticing Exxon back to Venezuela, a business role usually exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Additionally, Rivera’s legal team indicated that his consulting work was entirely separate from efforts involving Venezuelan rebels aimed at facilitating Maduro’s removal.
