"Then Venezuela's foreign minister, Rodríguez directed Citgo - a subsidiary of the state oil company - to make a $500,000 donation to the president's inauguration. With the socialist administration of Nicolas Maduro struggling to feed Venezuela, Rodríguez gambled on a deal that would have opened the door to American investment. Around the same time, she saw that Trump's ex-campaign manager was hired as a lobbyist for Citgo, courted Republicans in Congress and tried to secure a meeting with the head of Exxon."
"Nearly a decade later, as Venezuela's interim president, Rodríguez's message - that Venezuela is open for business - seems to have persuaded Trump. In the days since Maduro's stunning capture Saturday, he's alternately praised Rodríguez as a "gracious" American partner while threatening a similar fate as her former boss if she doesn't keep the ruling party in check and provide the U.S. with "total access" to the country's vast oil reserves."
In 2017, Delcy Rodríguez directed Citgo to donate $500,000 to the presidential inauguration and pursued meetings with U.S. business and political figures to attract investment. The outreach aimed to revive Venezuela's struggling oil economy amid severe domestic shortages. The initial charm offensive failed to yield U.S. policy shifts, but it raised Rodríguez's profile and networks in Washington. Years later, Rodríguez emerged as interim president, promoting an "open for business" message that drew praise from the U.S. while U.S. officials pressed for extensive access to Venezuela's oil reserves. Constitutional requirements for prompt elections remain unmentioned.
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