President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to distance his administration from Florida oil businessman Harry Sargeant III, saying Sargeant has no authority to act on behalf of the United States in dealings with Venezuela.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described U.S.-Venezuelan relations as "extraordinary" and said the United States is "dealing very well" with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and her representatives.
Trump claimed that oil is beginning to flow again and that large sums of money "unseen for many years" will soon help the Venezuelan people.
"Marco Rubio, and all of our Representatives, are doing a fantastic job, but we speak only for ourselves, and don’t want there to be any confusion or misrepresentation," Trump continued.
Sargeant, a billionaire energy entrepreneur and longtime Republican donor, has done business for years in Venezuela's energy sector and has maintained contacts with Venezuelan officials.
"There is a story about a man named Harry Sargeant III in The Wall Street Journal. He has no authority, in any way, shape, or form, to act on behalf of the United States of America," Trump added.
Recent reporting from The Wall Street Journal said Sargeant had been involved in behind-the-scenes discussions tied to Venezuelan oil and potential U.S. commercial involvement, raising questions about whether he was serving as an informal intermediary.
Trump’s statement appeared aimed at clarifying that any outreach involving Venezuela and oil policy was being handled solely by official U.S. representatives, not private individuals.