Marco Rubio is set to appear in court. The Secretary of State is scheduled to provide testimony against a longtime friend and former political ally from his days in the Florida House of Representatives in a trial concerning allegations of foreign influence with potential ramifications for some of Washington’s most influential figures.
The accused, David Rivera, has maintained a friendship with Rubio for over twenty years. Both served together in the Florida House, where they were famously dubbed “Batman and Robin.” Rivera was instrumental in encouraging Rubio’s unexpected Senate campaign, even campaigning on his behalf. Their relationship extended beyond politics—they co-signed a mortgage and Rivera was present at the birth of Rubio’s four children.
While Rubio advanced to national and international prominence, Rivera’s reputation has been tarnished by ongoing corruption accusations—a murky narrative now infiltrating Washington’s corridors, posing problems for several powerful individuals.
The legal case involving Rubio falls under the jurisdiction of the Trump administration. Rivera, who had previously faced multiple FBI probes related to bribery and kickbacks during his political career in Florida, currently faces charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Venezuela’s government.
In 2022, the Department of Justice arrested Rivera for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires Americans engaged in activities “directly or indirectly supervised, directed, controlled, financed, or subsidized” by foreign entities to register with the federal government and report their lobbying and funding sources. The allegations stem from a substantial 2017 contract between Rivera’s firm, Interamerican Consulting Inc., and Citgo, the American branch of Venezuelan state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). Prosecutors claim the $50 million deal was a front to secretly represent Venezuelan government interests under President Nicolás Maduro.
The indictment charges Rivera with using his connections to facilitate a meeting between a U.S. congressman and Venezuela’s then-vice president Delcy Rodriguez to discuss efforts to “normalize relations between the United States and Venezuela.” Rivera also attempted, unsuccessfully, to arrange talks between the Venezuelan government and an American oil company that Caracas hoped to collaborate with. Additionally, he organized for Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chair of the House Rules Committee at the time, to visit Venezuela and meet Maduro in 2018.
Others who engaged with Rivera during the period he allegedly lobbied for Maduro include Rubio, then serving as a U.S. senator from Florida, and Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway. Rivera’s consulting firm sent the contract for these efforts directly to PDVSA executives in Venezuela.
Rivera contests these charges and appears prepared to challenge them vigorously. His defense subpoenaed Rubio at the end of 2025 to testify that Rivera was actually opposing the Maduro regime, not supporting it. “Senator Rubio and Mr. Rivera were focused only on their support for the Opposition in Venezuela, on sanctions against the Maduro government, and on removing Maduro as head of state in Venezuela,” his attorneys stated in December.
Rivera seems intent on implicating more figures connected to the White House. One of his Venezuelan contacts was Raúl Gorrín, president of TV network Globovisión. Legal filings viewed by The Lever reveal that Gorrín assisted in securing the Citgo contract for Rivera’s firm and served as liaison with the Venezuelan government. He joined Rivera in some meetings, including one with Rubio, and was paid millions in kickbacks. Notably, during Rivera’s time associating with Gorrín in DC, Globovisión engaged the lobbying company Ballardson Partners—partly managed by Trump’s current Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—to expand its U.S. operations.
While no accusations have been leveled against Wiles or her associates at Ballardson, the suggestion is clear: the firm never registered as a foreign agent under FARA. Should Rivera be convicted of unlawful foreign lobbying, it might lead to heightened examination of other figures linked to Trump.
This controversy has largely escaped national attention so far, but Rivera’s defense team—featuring David Markus, who is also defending Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell—is actively seeking publicity. Part of Rivera’s legal approach seemingly aims to pressure the Trump administration into dropping the case by making prosecution increasingly sensitive for the president and his circle. Rivera’s past involves multiple dubious legal encounters, from which he has so far avoided severe repercussions. Yet securing a victory here would mark his most remarkable escape yet.
Original article: theamericanconservative.com
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