President Trump has insisted that a Florida oil magnate has no influence over US policy toward Venezuela.
“There is a story about a man named Harry Sargeant III in The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. “He 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.”
“Without this approval, no one is authorized to represent our Country,” he added.
Sargeant, a Marine veteran and the owner of International Oil Trading Company, has long sought to open up Venezuela’s oil market — even cozying up to now-arrested dictator Nicolas Maduro in the past while betting that sanctions relief or renewed US engagement would reopen the country’s energy sector to American firms.
Supporters in the WSJ report referenced by Trump described Sargeant as a dealmaker who could help revive Venezuela’s collapsed industry, while critics argued his approach risked enriching insiders and legitimizing the authoritarian government in Caracas.
