Ex-Trump Officials Land Venezuela Oil Jobs as U.S. Holds 35% Stake in Major Producer
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 8
Ex-Trump Officials Land Venezuela Oil Jobs as U.S. Holds 35% Stake in Major Producer
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 8
Summary
Michael Jensen joined startup Primavera on June 1, three days after leaving the White House role overseeing Latin America policy, taking an operations post tied to Venezuela energy projects.
Primavera said Jensen’s job covers security, infrastructure and exploration setup—not government affairs—as the company, backed by Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam, signed production agreements with PDVSA last month.
Brittany Kelm and Micah Thomas Ketchel are among other former Trump officials moving into Venezuela-related business, while Sable Offshore and Ballard Partners pursue oil and lobbying opportunities in Caracas.
Federal law limits ex-officials from lobbying on matters they handled in government, and the companies involved say their hires consulted ethics counsel and complied with all restrictions.
The hiring wave reflects a broader rush into Venezuela after the January ouster of Nicolás Maduro and Washington’s takeover of the sector, including a direct 35% U.S. stake in North American Blue Energy Partners.