Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Saturday, January 17, 2026

The first US-brokered sale of Venezuelan crude oil under Donald Trump's new energy plan went to Vitol, a global oil trading firm whose senior US-based trader was a major donor to Trump's 2024 re-election campaign.

Vitol Full of Crooks

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"John Addison, a senior trader at Vitol, was involved in securing a roughly $250 million deal for Venezuelan oil. Addison donated about $6 million to PACs backing Dummkopf Trumpf's 2024 re-election effort, including $5 million to Maga Inc in Oct 2024.

The oligarch with a personal net worth of at least $30 million also attended a Trumpf junta meeting with the self-declared President of Venezuela last week. Ben Marshall, head of Vitol's US operations, a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of the Dallas Energy Advisory Council, also attended. Vitol was the only company represented by two senior executives at the talks.

At that sinister meeting to split the spoils of Venezuela's oil, Addison told Trumpf that Vitol would aim to secure the best possible price for Venezuelan crude, adding that Trumpf's "influence... over the Venezuelans will ensure that you get what you want." Vitol said Addison's political donations were made in a personal capacity."

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#1 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-01-17 09:18 AM | Reply

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