Rep. Melanie Stansbury: 'You better believe we are investigating. And, the timeline's got us asking a lot of questions'

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Rep. Melanie Stansbury @Rep_Stansbury
Follow. 👏 The. 👏 Money. 👏

Yesterday, the White House said Trump was already selling seized Venezuelan oil and would do so “indefinitely” at the discretion of the President—an authority he does not have.

So, you better believe we are investigating. And, the timeline’s got us asking a lot of questions:

JAN: Trump revokes the TPS status of Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. Later that month he sends a Special Envoy to meet with Maduro.

FEB: Trump declares the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization and revokes Chevron’s license to export Venezuelan oil.

MARCH: Trump begins mass arrests and deportations of Venezuelans to CECOT prison in El Salvador (without due process). Trump imposes a 25% tariff on countries that buy Venezuelan oil.

JULY-AUG: Trump negotiates a prisoner swap to release American prisoners in exchange for deported U.S. Venezuelan immigrants being detained in CECOT. Military training and exercises begin in the region.

SEP-NOV: Large-scale military deployment and build-up continues and ~35 strikes by the U.S. military in the Caribbean and Pacific kill around ~115 people. Bipartisan investigations in Congress begin.

NOV: A U.S. court orders Citgo Petroleum, held by the Venezuelan government to sell its assets to pay creditors (largely U.S. investors). Paul Singer, a U.S. billionaire donor to Trump and Rubio, buys Citgo at auction. Devin Nunes, Trump’s Truth Media CEO joins as an officer of Blue Wave, a shell corporation in the Canary Islands that also bid on the purchase of Citgo. Trump issues an ultimatum to Maduro to step down.

DEC: Trump orders a U.S. naval blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.

JAN: The U.S. conducts a major military operation, capturing Maduro and his wife, killing ~100 people, and wounding 7 U.S. Service Members. Though the deployment includes ~15,000 soldiers, 150 aircraft, 20 U.S. military bases, 3 carriers, and a submarine—Trump does not seek authorization from or notify Congress as required for a major military operation.

Trump subsequently announces the U.S. will take control of 30 - 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil (up to 15% of production in the largest oil reserves in the world). The White House says Trump will control the sale using international oil trading companies, and depositing the revenues not in the U.S. Treasury, but undisclosed foreign banks outside the U.S. The Administration says that funds will be dispersed at the discretion of the President—authority he absolutely does not have.

Something doesn’t smell right here. In addition to the dangerous, lawless, deadly entanglement of the U.S. in an unauthorized military action—why is the President extorting foreign oil reserves, depositing money in foreign bank accounts, and what do some of his closest buddies and political allies stand to gain?

5:48 AM · Jan 8, 2026

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