"The first US sale of Venezuelan oil since the Trump administration illegally attacked the South American country earlier this month went to the company of a trader who donated millions to President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. The roughly $250 million sale of Venezuelan crude went to Vitol, a Geneva-based energy and commodity trading firm whose US arm is headquartered in Houston. The Financial Times reported late last week that John Addison, a senior trader at Vitol, was involved in his company's efforts to secure the deal. Addison, who attended a recent White House meeting with other top oil executives, donated $6 million total to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign via several super PACs, including $5 million to MAGA Inc."
"Addison pledged to Trump at the [White House] event that Vitol would attain the best price possible for Venezuelan oil for the US, 'so that the influence you have over the Venezuelans will ensure that you get what you want,' according to the Financial Times. US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), noted on social media that Vitol has a 'criminal history of bribing foreign governments' and called the Venezuelan oil deal 'fundamentally corrupt.'"
Vitol, a Geneva-based energy and commodity trading firm with a U.S. arm in Houston, purchased roughly $250 million of Venezuelan crude. John Addison, a senior Vitol trader involved in securing the deal, donated $6 million to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, including $5 million to MAGA Inc. Addison attended a White House meeting with oil executives and pledged that Vitol would attain the best price for the United States. Proceeds from the oil sale are being stashed in Qatar, raising critics' concerns about enabling further corruption and citing Vitol's history of bribery allegations.
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