State Department Report Details $12 Billion in Venezuelan Oil and Mineral Revenue

The U.S. State Department released a 53-page report Thursday detailing how it has handled more than $12 billion in revenue from Venezuelan oil and mineral resources, nearly a year after U.S. forces removed Nicolás Maduro in a January raid on Caracas. The department said the disclosure aims to promote transparency and accountability. The Trump administration says it has returned more than $12 billion, or almost 99%, of oil sales revenue since Maduro's ouster, with funds held in special accounts set up by a January executive order before being distributed to Venezuela in a controlled manner. Maduro now faces drug trafficking and torture charges in New York, while Delcy Rodriguez, the then-vice president, took over and has agreed to terms giving the U.S. a direct stake in oil and mineral profits.

Right-leaning Newsmax and the Washington Times lead with the administration's claim of returning almost 99% of Venezuelan oil revenue, and their excerpts cite no other sources. Left-leaning The New Republic leads with a previously unreported Bozeman, Montana meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Vitol trader John Addison, a week before the January operation, which both men denied; it links Addison's $300,000 to Vance's 2022 Senate bid. The Washington Post, also left-leaning, centers on the report and demands for transparency and does not mention the meeting. Al Jazeera stresses direct U.S. control over buyers and profits, and Trump's campaign touting of the revenue.