A Venezuela Foreign Influence Scandal for Trump’s Circle
David Rivera, a longtime close friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is facing federal charges for allegedly acting as a foreign agent for Venezuela. The trial and its revelations about foreign influence are poised to bedevil the Trump administration.
In a case that has ensnared multiple figures in the Trump administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s longtime friend and political ally David Rivera is now standing trial for allegedly acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Venezuela. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
At every stage in Marco Rubio’s political ascent, David Rivera has been by his side.
Twenty years ago, the two Miami-raised Cuban American Republicans earned the nicknames “Batman and Robin” as they rose to power in the Florida House of Representatives. When Rubio sought the speaker’s gavel, Rivera, known as Rubio’s “enforcer,” whipped the necessary votes. The young legislators even put down a mortgage together for a Tallahassee bachelor pad near the state capitol.
Later, when Rubio was debating whether to launch a long-shot bid for the US Senate, Rivera convinced him to run and campaigned for him across Florida. And when Rubio decided to propose to his now-wife, Rivera helped him pick out the engagement ring.
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