Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to testify Tuesday in the federal trial of former U.S. Rep. David Rivera, a longtime political ally and former housemate. Rivera faces charges of secretly lobbying for Venezuela's government without proper registration. Rubio requested to be called as a prosecution witness after learning Rivera's defense team planned to call him, according to three sources.
The trial highlights the complex world of foreign influence operations in Latin America and underscores Rivera's politically toxic relationship with Rubio throughout his career. The timing creates additional challenges for Rubio as he manages multiple foreign policy crises including fallout from the Iran war and political transitions in Venezuela and Cuba.
Rivera and associate Esther Nuhfer face an 11-count indictment alleging money laundering and failing to register as foreign agents. The case centers on a $50 million contract Rivera struck in 2017 with CITGO, the Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's national oil company PDVSA. In 2020, PDVSA filed a civil lawsuit accusing Rivera of breaking his contract with the Venezuelan government.
Rivera and Nuhfer maintain their innocence, arguing they worked for PDVSA's U.S. subsidiary and didn't need to register as foreign agents. They claim their work partly involved establishing oil business relationships with Exxon. Rubio will become the first sitting secretary of state in recent history to testify in a criminal trial, according to the report.