Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify Tuesday in a federal criminal trial involving a former Republican congressman accused of незаконно lobbying on behalf of Venezuela’s government. The appearance will add a high-profile dimension to a case centered on alleged violations of U.S. foreign lobbying laws and multimillion-dollar financial arrangements tied to Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
The trial of former Congressman David Rivera began Monday in Miami. Federal prosecutors allege that Rivera and co-defendant Esther Nuhfer orchestrated a covert lobbying effort designed to influence U.S. policy toward Venezuela without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
According to the prosecution, Rivera received as much as $20 million from a Venezuelan state-owned entity as part of a broader $50 million agreement to improve relations and ease sanctions pressure.
Prosecutors argue that Rivera leveraged long-standing political connections to gain access to senior U.S. officials. During opening statements, they asserted that the defendants “offered access” to policymakers cultivated over decades in public service. The government contends that these efforts were directly tied to advancing the interests of Maduro’s administration and senior figures within it, including Delcy Rodríguez.
Rubio’s expected testimony will focus on meetings he had with Rivera in 2017, when Rubio was serving in the U.S. Senate. According to court filings, Rivera used those meetings to present information linked to Venezuelan media figure Raúl Gorrín, who has also been charged in the United States.
Communications cited in the indictment suggest that Rivera and associates discussed strategies to influence U.S. policy and referenced senior Venezuelan officials using coded language.
The case also highlights attempts to facilitate meetings between U.S. officials and Venezuelan representatives, as well as outreach to private sector entities, including efforts to connect Exxon Mobil with Venezuelan leadership. Prosecutors argue these actions formed part of a coordinated lobbying campaign tied to financial compensation.
Rivera’s defense maintains that the activities in question were commercial rather than political in nature, arguing that no registration requirement applied. Defense counsel told jurors that the work focused on business opportunities, including energy-sector engagement, and asserted that no U.S. policy decisions were altered as a result.
Rubio’s testimony is expected to be closely watched given his current role as Secretary of State and his involvement in broader U.S. strategy toward Venezuela. His appearance marks a rare instance of a sitting Cabinet official testifying in a criminal trial, underscoring the case’s legal and political significance.