US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Trump ally testifies in trial over secret Venezuela lobbying effort
Ballard said he cut ties after learning Rivera had a $50 million Venezuela contract, as prosecutors allege it hid secret lobbying for Maduro.
- Top Washington lobbyist Brian Ballard testified in Miami federal court that he severed ties with former Congressman David Rivera in 2020 upon learning Venezuela awarded Rivera a $50 million contract.
- Prosecutors allege Rivera became a "hired gun" for Nicolas Maduro after leaving Congress, leveraging Republican connections to push for normalized relations; Rivera denies wrongdoing, claiming his work as a business strategist exempted him from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
- During a meeting in the Dominican Republic, Rivera pitched Ballard on representing Venezuela's opposition; later, Rivera's associate media mogul Raul Gorrin signed an $800,000 contract with Ballard's firm to assist with U.S. expansion.
- On Tuesday, Rivera's defense attorneys sought a mistrial, accusing prosecutors of improperly suggesting their client attempted to rope Ballard into the alleged conspiracy, but Judge Melissa Damian denied the motion.
- The trial highlights risks of foreign influence campaigns in U.S. politics, as Ballard testified he was motivated by helping end the Maduro regime, stating, "anything we could do to help end the Maduro regime would've been very much of interest to me.
Insights by Ground AI
19 Articles
19 Articles
A major Washington lobbyist, closely allied with President Donald Trump, testified before a federal court that immediately broke his ties with former congressman David Rivera when he learned in 2020 that the Venezuelan government had awarded the Miami Republican a $50 million contract, which shattered his belief that both were working to accelerate the fall of Nicolás Maduro.Brian Ballard has been, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a ke…
·Washington, United States
Read Full Article
A criminal trial uncovers a clandestine lobby operation linked to former Trump officials before the attempt to remove Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left5Leaning Right4Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 28%
C 50%
R 22%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
