MIAMI — U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas, testified for former Rep. David Rivera’s defense on Monday during a federal trial in Miami.
Rivera has been on trial on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for Venezuela, conspiring to commit money laundering, and tax evasion.
During his testimony, Sessions talked about his meetings with Delcy Rodríguez in 2017 in New York City and Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
After Maduro’s capture, Rodríguez went on to become the first woman in Venezuelan history to perform the duties of the presidency.
Sessions said the conversations focused on a path forward for Venezuela without Maduro in power.
Sessions also said Rodríguez was the one who raised the idea to welcome Exxon back to Venezuela, and not Rivera.
Sessions was done with his testimony and left the courthouse without answering questions at about 1 p.m.
Prosecutors filed the case against Rivera and Esther Nuhger, a political consultant, on Nov. 16, 2022, over a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.
Rivera’s defense attorneys claim his work was legitimate. Rivera served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 and in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010.
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