Secretary of State Marco Rubio turned to a respected familiar voice to Venezuelans this week as the Trump administration faced mounting criticism over its cooperation with interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez and its decision to place controversial businessman Alejandro Betancourt at the center of a historic oil agreement.
In a rare, extended Spanish-language interview with Venezuelan journalist Sergio Novelli, Rubio attempted to reassure an audience that has long viewed him as one of Washington's most forceful opponents of chavismo. The conversation covered the deportations of Venezuelans, the oil deal, democratic elections, opposition leader María Corina Machado, and the selection of Betancourt's company as the United States' private partner.
