President Donald Trump rejected reporting claiming that Harry Sargeant III is playing a key role in U.S.-Venezuela relations after the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro in January.
Trump said in a social media publication on Thursday that Sargeant “has no authority, in any way, shape or form, to act on behalf of the United States of America, nor does anyone else that is not approved by the State Department.”
The report in question noted that Sargeant has been promoting the Venezuelan market to the U.S. for a while now and is positioned to benefit financially from its reopening after the U.S. took over the industry.
The WSJ noted that he met in person in Caracas with interim President Delcy Rodriguez to discuss plans to boost his businesses. “This is the greatest investment opportunity since the collapse of the Soviet Union,” he said in a recent interview. “This is what I’ve been after all along.”
Another report from Reuters from early January claimed that Sargeant is a central figure when it comes to advising the Trump administration on how to facilitate the return of oil companies to the South American country.
Back then, sources told the outlet that Sargeant and members of his team have been in contact with senior U.S. officials about potential investment frameworks, infrastructure upgrades and contract terms that could encourage U.S. firms to re-enter Venezuela’s energy sector.
More recently he has had discussions with different Trump officials, including Energy Secretary Chris Right and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, about concerns that the U.S. isn’t moving fast enough to let U.S. producers enter Venezuela again.
Sargeant has operated in Venezuela since the 1980s through businesses focused on asphalt exports and investments in oil fields. He maintained good relations with the Maduro regime even when it was sanctioned by the U.S., with Maduro affectionately calling him “abuelo” (grandpa).
Originally published on Latin Times
