Spoke to oil companies before Venezuela attack but didn't brief lawmakers

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ByMax Zahn
January 7, 2026, 5:48 PM

Oil executives are set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to discuss investments in Venezuela, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

Trump previously said he spoke to U.S. oil companies prior to the raid on Venezuela, even as he said he opted to forego disclosure to members of Congress ahead of time due to concerns about possible leaks. The attack resulted in the removal of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he had held conversations with “all” the oil companies “before and after” the raid.

When asked on Monday by NBC News whether he had briefed the oil companies prior to the operation, Trump said, "No. But we’ve been talking to the concept of, 'what if we did it?'" ...


https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trump-spoke-oil-companies-venezuela-attack-brief-lawmakers/story?id=128942212

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1. US seizes Russian-flagged tanker and a second Venezuela-linked ship

Updated 7:19 PM EST, Wed January 7, 2026

Tankers seized: The US today seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela, including a Russian-flagged vessel, authorities said. President Donald Trump is “not afraid” to continue seizing sanctioned oil tankers despite concerns that it could ratchet up tensions with Russia and China, the White House said. Sigue nuestra cobertura en español.

• US demands: The administration has outlined demands that Venezuela must agree to in order to resume oil production, two senior White House officials told CNN. They include cutting ties with China, Iran, Russia and Cuba, and agreeing to partner exclusively with the US on oil production ...

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/trump-venezuela-oil-greenland-07-01-26

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2. We have the best government money can buy.