Cate Brown

In August, Trump announced the “BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!” But is it? The text of the accord — which grants the U.S. sweeping access to Venezuela’s oil reserves — has been one of DC’s most sought-after secrets. ProPublica got to see a copy. 🧵

15/ NABEP emphasized the agreement was due to the company’s proven track record, and that Betancourt has never been charged with a crime. The company added that blending costs would not meaningfully impact the price of production.

16/ The Pentagon said that the Defense Department conducts “extensive due diligence” before extending any capital assistance. A spokesperson declined to comment on any of the legal considerations or further technical aspects of the deal “to protect the integrity of the process.”

propublica.orgThe Secret Terms of Trump’s Venezuelan Oil DealThe Trump administration committed the U.S. to taking a large stake in a Venezuelan company, some of whose owners and investors are shielded from public view. The exact details of the agreement over o...

13/ These new details are likely to raise more questions about whether the unorthodox marriage of the U.S. and a foreign energy baron can bring lasting benefits to either country — and which private parties might benefit along the way. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

14/ The White House, State Dept, Pentagon and NABEP all defended the agreement, saying in statements that their new public-private venture will provide meaningful and lasting economic benefits to both countries that cannot be captured in a legal document.

11/ In public comments, Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez — a Trump ally — has praised the accord as “historic.” She has asserted that Venezuela will retain sovereignty over its natural resources and defended the choice of Betancourt.

12/ But we found that the role of the Venezuelan gov. and the potential benefits to its people are largely absent from the deal. NABEP never explicitly guarantees it will pay the ~$200B in royalties & tax payments to Venezuela that the White House has promised.

9/ Much of Venezuela’s raw crude is so thick that it won’t flow through pipelines unless it is first blended with oil thinner products. Under the deal, the cost of importing millions of barrels of those blending materials is not included in the price.

10/ Finally, it could be some time before Betancourt’s company produces enough oil to fulfill a significant share of U.S. demand. Right now, it produces about 200,000 barrels per day — or about as much over the course of a year as the United States uses in 3 days.

7/ There are also significant caveats related to Trump’s central selling point to Americans: that the deal will bring a gusher of low-cost oil imports. 🛢️

8/ While the agreement gives the U.S. the right to purchase 20% of NABEP’s oil at a discounted rate of $30/barrel, this fee does not account for the potentially steep costs of getting Venezuela’s oil out of the country — or making it useable.

5/ Why was the administration so keen to partner with NABEP? One insider said it seemed to be because of its privacy and flexibility compared to publicly traded oil companies: “Chevron couldn’t give 35% of their shares to the Pentagon.”

6/ The deal also safeguards Betancourt’s position as CEO of NABEP and says the U.S. will work with the parent co. to appoint a 7-member board to govern the company for 15 years. According to insiders, this was to prevent future U.S. or Venezuelan leaders from dismantling it.

3/ One of those people is Alejandro Betancourt. A globe-trotting Venezuelan oligarch, Betancourt has faced money-laundering investigations in 3 countries.

4/ The Trump admin is taking a 35% stake in Betancourt’s firm, NABEP, by acquiring shares in a Barbados-registered parent company. The deal document provided little info about the owners & investors behind this company, which could receive enormous wealth from the arrangement.

theguardian.comTrump ballroom donor to lead state department’s $200m Armenia fundKonstantin Sokolov, who gave undisclosed sum and has not held government job before, to chair Tripp+ trade project

2/ Signed by Rubio and Hegseth, the 18-page doc reveals carefully constructed terms that appear to favor U.S.interests at every turn. It also cements the power of a small group of people handpicked by the Trump admin to govern and profit from the deal. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Cate Brown reposted

Michael Beckel

@mjbeckel.bsky.social

20 July

Replying to @mjbeckel.bsky.social

Russian-American private equity investor Konstantin Sokolov is also a donor to President Trump's White House ballroom renovation project, as @catebrown.bsky.social @theguardian.com noted last week www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Cate Brown reposted

Michael Beckel

@mjbeckel.bsky.social

20 July

Russian-American private equity investor Konstantin Sokolov — who was recently appointed by the U.S. State Department to chair the TRIPP+ Enterprise Fund — gave $1 million to President Trump's super PAC on June 10th, new FEC docs show docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/form...

docquery.fec.govSchedule A for Line #17 Schedule A for Line #17

Cate Brown reposted

Zach Everson

@zacheverson.com

15 July

"Trump ballroom donor to lead state department’s $200m Armenia fund Konstantin Sokolov, who gave undisclosed sum and has not held government job before, to chair Tripp+ trade project" @catebrown.bsky.social for @theguardian.com

theguardian.comTrump ballroom donor to lead state department’s $200m Armenia fundKonstantin Sokolov, who gave undisclosed sum and has not held government job before, to chair Tripp+ trade project

theguardian.comTrump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails showBen Black’s lawyers deny relationship with disgraced financier, but DoJ records reveal years of interactions

3 June

NEW: A Guardian review of thousands of DOJ-released Epstein records found that Ben Black— now the Senate-confirmed head of the $205bn DFC — once invested in the same company as Epstein and maintained social ties with him for years afterward. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Cate Brown reposted

George Zornick

@gzornick.bsky.social

3 June

NEWS from @catebrown.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.com‘The door to the future of Gaza is still closed’: Trump’s reconstruction promises stallDiplomatic impasse and lack of progress on the ground has left countries that pledged funds to Board of Peace reluctant to pay

20 May

‘Board of Peace’ officials deny being short on funds, but the group has only received $123mil dollars of the $7bn promised to Trump in Feb. That’s $1.75 for every $100 pledged. Diplomats and others say countries are hesitant to pay, esp after war in Iran. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

20 May

The top Gaza envoy for Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ is slated to earn $400k for his work leading Washington’s vision there. Asked about the figure, a BoP official said, “I’m not the CFO … but those were eye-popping.” More on 💸 + stalled BoP efforts —> www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

theguardian.comTrump may settle his lawsuit against IRS for $1.7bn fund to compensate alliesIn unprecedented self-dealing maneuver, billions of taxpayer dollars could be paid to US president and his allies

16 May

Trump may drop his lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the launch of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate people wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration, including Jan 6 rioters. Quick take following NYT +ABC www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Former US special ops @wesjbryant.bsky.social says the US strike on an Iranian warship is illegal. The boat was hit while returning from a training in India. “By targeting it, is Trump saying that all of Iran’s government and military poses an imminent threat?” www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

theguardian.comTrump administration waging illegal war on Iran, experts sayAdministration offers shifting explanations as it acts without congressional approval or legal premise

The US war against #Iran is illegal, experts say, and they've challenged the Trump administration's rationale for waging it. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Cate Brown reposted

Scott Horton

@robertscotthorton.bsky.social

theguardian.comTrump administration waging illegal war on Iran, experts sayAdministration offers shifting explanations as it acts without congressional approval or legal premise

Stories about the illegality of the Iran War under both international law and the US Constitution and War Powers Act have featured on the front pages of Süddeutsche Zeitung, El País, Le Monde and papers all around the world. Not, however, in major US papers. Something is seriously wrong.

Cate Brown reposted

Will Bunch

@willbunch.bsky.social

theguardian.comTrump administration waging illegal war on Iran, experts sayAdministration offers shifting explanations as it acts without congressional approval or legal premise

The UK-based Guardian with the article that should be on Page 1 of every U.S. newspaper www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Cate Brown reposted

Brian Finucane

@bcfinucane.bsky.social

theguardian.comTrump administration waging illegal war on Iran, experts sayAdministration offers shifting explanations as it acts without congressional approval or legal premise

Pleased to speak with @catebrown.bsky.social of the @theguardian.com about Trump’s illegal war. “For something to be lawful self defense, it has to be necessary – in the sense that there’s no alternative. That’s not the situation here.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Cate Brown reposted

The Guardian

@theguardian.com

theguardian.com‘An extension of his administration’: how Trump’s resorts became a proxy for access and powerElected officials visited Trump properties 145 times since his inauguration, records show

‘An extension of his administration’: how Trump’s resorts became a proxy for access and power

Trump has called Mar-a-Lago, “as close to paradise as I’m going to get”. And by some measures, it’s lovely he wants to share it. A new @citizensforethics.org report shows how Trump resorts have become luxury destinations to raise money and curry favor. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The RNC and MAGA INC have been largest spenders at Trump properties. All in, campaign finance records show that political groups have spent least $1.3m on events and catering at Trump’s resorts in 2025.

“We know this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Michael Beckel @issueonereform.bsky.social. “We might never get a full accounting of all the money that Trump’s family and his companies have made from his time in the White House, and that’s deeply troubling.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

washingtonpost.comNew DHS memo outlines plan to detain refugees for further vettingResettlement organizations said the updated guidance represents a dramatic shift in how refugees are treated after being legally permitted to enter the United States.

Elected leaders have visited Trump resorts 145 times since his inauguration, @citizensforethics.org found. Israeli diplomats topped the list. And Argentina’s President Milei received $20bil from the president, weeks before headlining at a Mar A Lago gala.

Cate Brown reposted

The Washington Post

@washingtonpost.com

19 Feb

DHS stated that federal immigration agents should arrest refugees who have not yet obtained a green card and detain them indefinitely for rescreening — a shift that upends decades of protections and puts tens of thousands of people at risk.

theguardian.comTrump officials plan to build 5,000-person military base in Gaza, files showExclusive: approximately 350-acre compound planned as base for multinational force, according to records reviewed by the Guardian

19 Feb

The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in south Gaza, contracting records show. The site is envisioned as an operating base for a future multinational force. Indonesia has already pledged troops. w/ @aramroston.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.comNSA detected foreign intelligence phone call about a person close to TrumpWhistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff

10 Feb

Whistleblower attorney @AndrewBakaj revised his previous statement to the Guardian, saying that "The NSA picked up a phone call between two members of foreign intelligence involving someone close to the Trump White House." Updated with his new statement --> www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.comNSA detected phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to TrumpWhistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff

7 Feb

SCOOP: The NSA detected a phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump last spring. Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.comUS contractor sent Gaza plan to White House that would secure 300% profitsGothams LLC’s draft proposal, obtained by the Guardian, suggests seven-year trucking and logistics monopoly

2 Feb

SCOOP: A US disaster response firm submitted a plan to White House officials that would guarantee 300% profits and a seven-year monopoly over a new trucking and logistics plan for #Gaza @AramRoston and I report on the draft and its cash potential --> www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Cate Brown reposted

Bill Grueskin

@bgrueskin.bsky.social

28 Jan

As this story notes, three executives charged by CEO Will Lewis with leading the Washpost's most-publicized revenue efforts have left the company in the past year.

Charlotte Klein@charlottetklein.bsky.social

“What’s the plan after this?” a former Post reporter wondered. “You cut however many hundreds of people to solve the fact that you’re still losing lots of money. Then what?” nymag.com/intelligence...

nymag.comInside the Washington Post’s Existential Meltdown“There’s no vision for why it should exist.”

Cate Brown reposted

Drew Harwell

@drewharwell.com

28 Jan

From @benjysarlin.bsky.social:

theguardian.comFamilies in Maine scramble to halt ICE’s transfer of detainees out of stateOfficials are quickly moving people they’ve apprehended out of state, making it difficult for loved ones to reach them

28 Jan

Family members have been scrambling to learn the whereabouts of more than 200 people arrested during an immigration crackdown that's swept across Maine. “#ICE came with the machinery in place to get people out of here as soon as possible." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.comUnited Arab Emirates plans to bankroll first ‘planned community’ in south GazaExclusive: Blueprints describe a ‘case study’ community where residents submit biometric data to gain entry

23 Jan

SCOOP: UAE plans to bankroll the first “planned community” in Gaza. Blueprints describe a ‘case study’ community where Palestinians submit biometric data to gain entry. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

washingtonpost.comPreviously secret memo gave legal basis for U.S. mission to nab MaduroThe administration releases a redacted version of a previously secret memo that gave the legal basis for the U.S. mission to arrest Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

23 Jan

@dropsitenews.com first reported on the robust surveillance architecture embedded in these plans, including biometric data collection and security checkpoints to enter or exit the compound. The documents do not say who will oversee the “vetting” of prospective Palestinian residents. Take a look/

Cate Brown reposted

Brian Finucane

@bcfinucane.bsky.social

14 Jan

Pleased to speak with @johnphudson.bsky.social about the OLC opinion blessing the invasion of Venezuela. “This view that international law and the U.N. Charter doesn’t bind the U.S. president is very significant and very dangerous.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

theguardian.comDozens of artists call for end to Israel’s ‘systematic attacks’ on Gaza hospitalsActors, doctors and human rights leaders sign letter calling for restoration of medical care to ‘collapsed’ system

12 Jan

Exclusive: Dozens of artists, including @markruffalo.bsky.social @ilanaglazer.com have joined doctors and rights orgs to call for the restoration of medical care in #Gaza in a letter addressed to Israel and world leaders. It goes to UK, EU parliament this week. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...