Chris Murphy 🟧@ChrisMurphyCT · Jan 17, 2026

We told you the Venezuela invasion was just corruption. It took one whole week to get the proof. Trump took…

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Summary

According to this thread, Trump allegedly provided a major campaign donor's company, Vitol, exclusive access to Venezuelan oil at discounted prices in exchange for a $6 million donation, representing corruption that benefited the donor while failing to achieve stated goals like combating drugs or supporting democracy. The thread also notes Vitol has a criminal history of bribing foreign governments.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

#1
We told you the Venezuela invasion was just corruption. It took one whole week to get the proof. Trump took Venezuela's oil at gunpoint, and gave it to one of his biggest campaign donors. 1/ But when you learn the details, it's even worse. A short🧵on this corruption story.
#2
2/ John Addison donated a stunning sum to Trump's election campaign: $6 million. And then, as the Venezuelan operation unfolded, his company, Vitol, asked Trump for a license to trade Venezuelan oil - before their competitors. Shocker: Addison got it. wsj.com/business/energ…
#3
3/ And then, just days later, Trump selected Vitol for the first sale of Venezuelan oil - at a discount that will likely allow Vitol to make a huge profit when it sells it to secondary buyers. A windfall for Addison and Vitol. And fundamentally corrupt. thedailybeast.com/trump-hands-fi…
#4
4/ But it gets worse. Vitol had to buy access to Trump because under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be able to get a deal like this - because of the company's CRIMINAL HISTORY of bribing foreign governments. justice.gov/archives/opa/p…
#5
5/ The Venezuela operation wasn't about drugs - their drugs go to Europe, not the U.S. It wasn't about our security. Maduro wasn't a threat to us. It wasn't about democracy. Maduro's thugs are still in charge. It was about making Trump's oil friends rich.