Wright Announces New Endless Aid Via Venezuelan Oil – RedState

Post-Maduro Venezuela is at a crossroads. On the one hand, they installed Delcy Rodríguez as “interim president”, which is not a good thing; Delcy Rodríguez is a creature of Maduro, and if anything, she might be even more capable and less crazy than the deposed dictator, who is now an unwitting guest of the United States of America. On the other hand, with Maduro removed, it is possible that Venezuelan oil will start flowing again, which could provide a major boost to the Venezuelan economy.

On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright made it official: Venezuelan oil will start flowing again, but only to the United States.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that the U.S. government wants to restore the flow of Venezuelan oil, directly control Venezuelan oil sales and revenues through U.S.-controlled accounts, and create conditions for U.S. oil companies to enter the country.

Such measures will also benefit the Venezuelan people, Wright said Wednesday.

Oil sales will be “made by the U.S. government and deposited into accounts controlled by the U.S. government,” he said.

“Then from there, those funds can flow back into Venezuela for the benefit of the Venezuelan people, but we need that leverage and that control over those oil sales to drive the changes that simply need to happen in Venezuela.”

Venezuela’s domestic oil production was nationalized in 1976 and reached its peak in 2008; however, the country still holds some of the largest reserves in the world. Secretary Wright notes that the involvement of U.S. oil companies in newer technologies for recovery and distribution could provide a boost to Venezuela’s oil industry.

Wright said he was speaking to U.S. oil companies to find out what conditions would allow them to enter the South American country and added that he wanted to sell Venezuelan oil to U.S. refineries.

“We’re going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela, first that oil backed up and stored, and then indefinitely, going forward, we’ll sell the production that comes out of Venezuela into the market,” Wright said.

This will undoubtedly be a good thing for the Venezuelan people. There remains, however, one problem that must be resolved to ensure that this will be the case – and to allow all U.S. companies to move in and begin retooling Venezuela’s oil and gas sector. Namely: the last vestiges of the Maduro regime must disappear.

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As reported, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez claimed the supreme presidency. But the old rule of the fruit of the poison tree applies; Maduro’s regime was illegitimate, and has been since he arguably lost the 2024 elections and remained in power anyway. The ouster of Maduro changes nothing. That said, the United States has some levers to do what needs to be done here.

First, condition any U.S. aid to turn around Venezuela’s oil industry on the Venezuelan government doing to hold free and open elections, as soon as that can be managed. These elections must be monitored, but not only by the United States; we have a vested interest, which is why election observers from disinterested nations should be included. Italian Prime Minister Meloni might be open to persuasion.

Second – and yes, this may raise some eyebrows – encourage the new government to grant a blanket amnesty to all those who served under the Maduro regime, with the exception that the amnesty does not include any drug or human trafficking crimes. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to ban them from running for national office again – but that depends on any new Venezuelan government.

It is, as we have explained extensively here, a new day in Venezuela. But the country must turn the page; Maduro loyalists cannot stay in power, or sooner or later things will return to the way they were. The United States’ exclusive purchase of Venezuelan oil gives us a big, shiny lever to pull, and it also puts a foot in the eye of Russia, Cuba, and China. It’s always worth doing, every day and twice on Sunday.

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