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CASTEN: Trump said 'we're taking in billions and billions from Venezuela.' Who is the 'we'? That suggests flows to US persons BESSENT: Again, this is one of the largest assets ever to go on the US balance sheets CASTEN: You can't testify whether or not they're flowing to US persons? BESSENT: No

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So show us the balance sheet? It’s not rocket science, either the money shows as having been deposited and put towards our country’s debt or it was stuffed in Trump’s pockets. Americans know what’s going on here.

Even though none of it is true, they were taken in billions. How can they justify looting the natural resources of another country? International piracy is not a pardonable issue. We should deport everyone in this administration to Venezuela to stand trial

Trump is stealing. Regardless of which balance sheet the oil sales proceeds show up on, the oil belongs to Venezuela but is being taken by force of arms. Old fashioned imperialism, which it would be even if the money went straight to the U.s. treasury. It's not our oil!

First of all, how is it legal for us to take out the leader of another country and then strong arm them to take their oil? Secondly, if we are taking in “billions” of dollars, where the fuck is that money? This is all so damn ridiculous.

I'm sorry but this is insane stuff to admit. We do not, under any circumstances, allow the military to sign deals to self fund via a foreign country!

Another question: "Who granted the 'Department of War' the authority to negotiate a deal with the government of Venezuela, and who determined that this deal does not have to be approved by Congress?"

' The 'department of war' ? Do people know this is not an actual thing? It would be like me taping a sign to the front door of my house that says 'Martian Embassy'. Both examples are about as real.

Yep. On a recent @thebulwark.com podcast episode, Jonathan V Last talked about how this is totally illegal in the US, specifically because it's inimical to elected civilian leadership retaining control and oversight of the military.

Josh@joshuavkidd.bsky.social

I'm sorry but this is insane stuff to admit. We do not, under any circumstances, allow the military to sign deals to self fund via a foreign country!

This is him all the time. He's having to wrestle constantly with lying that he stutters a lot. Makes everything he says sus (which, obviously it is).

By what legal authority is the U.S. Government taking Venezuelan assets, selling them on the global market, and holding the proceeds? How much money has the Government collected, where is it, how much has been distributed, to whom, and for what purpose? Pretty standard questions.

The current 🍊 regime is a transnational organized crime syndicate. Its partners are Putin and his oligarchs, Netanyahu and those who side with him, and any other crooked government across the globe who wants in on the action. For a price, of course. They are all thieving snakes 🐍.

Every single member of this regime, the republican party who support his treasonous behavior & the 6 of the 9 not so supreme court judges should be indicted, tried, convicted & sent to jail. They have violated oath of office, constitution, rule of law & due process. VOTE BLUE UP AND DOWN THE TICKET!

Nice to see my representative doing his job and holding the administration’s feet to the fire. Time to follow the money. This kind of tomfoolery makes the US look like international bandits.

He said multiple assets, not just oil, including gold!! Wtf else did they steal from these people and where is all the stolen goods?? This is crazy.

If the US ever has an honest, functioning government again, one of the things it must do is reimburse Venezuela for the assets stolen from them. Those responsible for the theft should also face legal action --- preferably in a Venezuelan prison.

Bessent is blatantly incompetent as a treasury secretary, and even sucks in lying (isn’t that part of the hiring min bar qualification for this cabinet??). How on earth did that babbling nincompoop manage to amass his millions and billions?

Every action of this administration is to reward Trumps benefactors. Damn the American people, who will live with the long term consequences. Then again the 1953 coup to prevent Iran nationalizing its oil industry worked out well. Right?

' Sounds like the American volunteer military, here to protect us from bad-guys-over-there, is just a front, a cover, a subterfuge, a stalking-horse, if you will... for 'guns-for-hire-only-billionaires-need-apply'. In effect. Or am I missing something here?

This era in time really, really needs more good people willing to take risks for human welfare. Bessent and his kind are trash. Vile hollow men.

Bessent knows "we're" taking billions and billions from VZ, supposedly to US balance sheets, but he's not sure what US agency or company is getting the proceeds? He's probably not sure either if Venezuela is receiving fair compensation for the natural resources being taken? Mr. B knows too little.

A federal employees can’t buy donuts & coffee for a meeting with federal dollars. Not $50 dollars, not $500, not $5,000. No K, M, B, or T after those numbers. Accountability is coming and the cronies like Bessent should be on the hook for incompetence, corruption, and the cover-up.

The United States exploits other places as if the people there weren't human or didn't matter; it exploits their resources and steals them, as if those people didn't need them.

If it's on the US balance sheets, does that mean info about its transactions should be available to FOIA requests - specifically worded to include that if it's not on the balance sheet (and that would not be a figurative phrase coming from the Treasury Secretary) then Bessent lied to Congress.

They’ve got us all busy just trying to survive that we think we don’t have time to care, but it’s going to get a lot worse if we do not THROW OUT REPUBLICAN Senators and House members.

This is quite possibly the biggest scandal in U.S. history. Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury, doesn't know where the money is going, is lying about it, or possibly the money doesn't even exist and TRUMP is lying about it.

1. Trump has stated multiple times that we should just go in and take the oil. 2. Trump thinks everything in this country belongs to him while he's in the oval office and has his immunity from the Supreme Court. It isn't a huge leap to think Trump is keeping that stolen oil money.