U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has shared a 20-year relationship with a man that the government alleges is a foreign agent for Venezuela. It turns out, that man also has very close ties to several people in President Donald Trump's orbit
The sprawling case centers on a $50 million Venezuelan lobbying scheme allegedly orchestrated by Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), convicted cocaine trafficker Hugo Perera, and sanctioned media mogul Raúl Gorrín on behalf of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, a Tuesday report from The Lever said.
Court documents also reveal connections to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway, Rep. Pete Sessions (R‑Texas), oil executive Harry Sargeant (now advising Trump on Venezuela policy), Iran‑Contra figure Otto Reich, and even Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer.
It all began in 2017, when the lobbying company Ballard Partners, which Wiles co-led at the time, was connected to Rivera through Gorrín and Perera. In fact, one of Rivera's lawyers' arguments is that if his associations make him a foreign agent, then Wiles should be considered one too. Ballard's "work for Gorrín appears to have been extensive," the report said and Wiles has been asked to testify. There are about 400 pages of documents connecting Wiles' firm to the men. The documents include numerous emails.
The court filings allege that Gorrín helped facilitate the foreign-agent relationship and served as a go-between for the Venezuelan government. He was involved in several meetings that Rivera set up, including those with Rubio. At one point, Rivera tried to use Gorrín's private jet for the meetings with Conway.
"Gorrín, who was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2019 for his purported involvement in foreign bribes and money laundering, was reportedly paid handsomely for his work," the report noted. That same year, Attorney General Pam Bondi was also working at Ballard.
Emails exchanged between Wiles and Gorrín also included lobbyist Otto Reich, known for his work on weapons sales during the Ronald Reagan administration. It became known as the Iran-Contra scandal because the U.S. secretly funneled the weapons to Iran through the Contras, a Nicaraguan rebel group. There was an arms embargo at the time and Reich ran the State Department's Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean, which helped coordinate everything.
Oil executive Harry Sargeant was also among the email discussions. He's currently working with Trump on stabilizing Venezuela after Trump took out Maduro.
Rivera was also the connection to Rep. Sessions, who at the time was the head of the House Rules Committee, which sets the rules for getting legislation to the floor. Sessions also has his own financial interests in Venezuela’s mammoth oil reserves, the report said.
In an effort to disguise Sessions' name in electronic communications, they referred to him as "Sombrero." The report also noted that they called "millions," as in millions of dollars, "melones." Maduro was “El Guaguero."
Sessions wanted a meeting directly with Maduro and met with Perera about Venezuelan lobbying. At one point, he spoke with Gorrín about U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, according to documents. While sanctions began in 2005 and focused on terrorism and drug trafficking, Trump dramatically increased them in 2017–2019.
The Conway relationship was on display in emails and text messages as well, the report said, though not as prominently.
Rubio’s bond with Rivera dates back two decades: They served together in the Florida House, mortgaged a house, and campaigned as allies. Rivera didn’t start lobbying for Venezuelan oil giant Citgo until 2017 and was charged in 2022. Rubio is scheduled to testify next week.
Rubio is set to testify in the trial next week.