{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ranking-members-jared-huffman-robert-garcia-and-gregory-meeks-demand-answers-on-trump-administrations-oil-deal-with-alleged-money-launderer", "Ranking Members Jared Huffman, Robert Garcia, and Gregory Meeks Demand Answers on Trump Administration\u2019s Oil Deal with Alleged Money Launderer", "2026-09-18", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Jared Huffman", "H001068", "huffman.house.gov", "huffman", "https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Rep. Jared Huffman, Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs demanded answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Todd Blanche on how they sprung alleged white collar criminal Alejandro Betancourt to lead the Trump Administration\u2019s unprecedented scheme to take an ownership stake in a Venezuelan oil company.\n\n\"Handing a stake in another nation\u2019s oil wealth to a man under active criminal investigation for money laundering is exactly how the Trump administration does business. Americans are paying more at the pump while the President\u2019s war of choice in Iran drags on, and instead of bringing relief, this White House cut a deal that appears to reward corruption. Rubio and Blanche owe Congress a full account of what they did to get Alejandro Betancourt off the hook and why. Democrats will keep demanding those answers until the American people get the truth,\u201d said Ranking Member Huffman.\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration\u2019s Venezuelan oil takeover now involves going into business with Alejandro Betancourt, an alleged money launderer who is under active criminal investigation. While President Trump\u2019s war in Iran continues to drive up prices, it appears this Administration may have pressured foreign governments to release yet another person surrounded by corruption,\u201d said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.\n\n\u201cThe administration owes the American and Venezuelan people answers for why Alejandro Betancourt\u2014known for alleged corruption and money-laundering in Venezuela and elsewhere\u2014is being treated as a business partner instead of the subject of a law enforcement investigation. Partnering with Betancourt on this shady oil deal suggests that Trump and Rubio remain more focused on pillaging Venezuela for its natural resources to the benefit of their friends and donors than on a democratic transition there. Both the American and Venezuelan people deserve better,\u201d said Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks.\n\nIn the letter to Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Blanche, Ranking Members Garcia, Meeks, and Huffman wrote, \u201cDespite previous promises of transparency and repeated requests from Congress, the Trump Administration has provided shockingly few details to Congress regarding its management of at least $13 billion in Venezuelan oil revenue. Last week, President Trump announced an unprecedented financial takeover of another country\u2019s natural resources, in a partnership deal between the U.S. government and North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private company led by Venezuelan businessman and alleged money launderer Alejandro Betancourt. Given the numerous corruption allegations surrounding Mr. Betancourt, we demand information on the negotiations that led to this deal. We also demand information about the steps the Department of State and Department of Justice (DOJ) took to pressure a foreign government to resolve an active investigation into Mr. Betancourt\u2019s activities, including your personal involvements as Secretary of State and Attorney General.\u201d\n\nIn August 2026, Ranking Member Robert Garcia escalated Oversight Democrats\u2019 investigation into the Departments of Treasury, State, and Energy regarding their roles in managing Venezuelan oil revenue after launching the probe in February 2026. In January 2026, Ranking Member Garcia demanded answers from oil trading companies Vitol and Trafigura regarding their role in the Trump Administration\u2019s sale of Venezuelan oil and any agreements made between the companies and the Administration. In January 2026, Ranking Member Garcia and every Oversight Democrat demanded answers on any communication from the Trump Administration with major oil companies Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and Continental Resources regarding the Trump Administration\u2019s military action against Venezuela and the President\u2019s plan to seize the country\u2019s oil wealth.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-22T09:42:49Z", "2026-09-22T09:44:35Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ranking-members-jared-huffman-robert-garcia-and-gregory-meeks-demand-answers-on-trump-administrations-oil-deal-with-alleged-money-launderer"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.5602621026337147, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}