President Donald Trump says the United States has sold more than $13 billion of Venezuelan oil this year, and he thinks the real total is higher. The sales follow Washington's seizure of Venezuela's oil exports in January. Democrats in Congress want the administration to account for the money.
President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. has sold more than $13 billion of Venezuelan oil this year. He was answering a question about a Financial Times report that estimated how much his administration had collected from the sales.
The sales follow the U.S. seizure of Venezuela's oil exports, which came after a military raid captured former President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to Michigan to tour a General Motors facility, the president put the total higher, according to CNBC: "$13 billion from Venezuela? I think even more than that". He added that the U.S. has paid for that war many times over.
But Democrats in Congress have pressed the Trump administration to disclose how much money it has collected from the sales, how the funds are spent, and how the program is monitored.
Before that, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Semafor in an April interview that the U.S. had sold around 150 million barrels of Venezuelan oil since January.
Source: CNBC
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