Rubio Testifies in Former Congressman’s Venezuela Lobbying Trial

Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the witness stand on March 24 in the federal trial of former U.S. Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), a longtime friend of his who is accused of secretly lobbying on behalf of Venezuela’s government. While Rubio has not been accused of wrongdoing, prosecutors argue that Rivera viewed him as a key way to gain access to the White House—underscoring how personal political relationships may have been leveraged in an alleged foreign influence campaign. Prosecutors allege that Rivera acted as an unregistered foreign agent for former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, using his Republican political connections to push the White House toward a more lenient stance on the country’s socialist regime....