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Investigation Says JD Vance Associate Helped Vitol Secure Venezuela Crude Trading Licenses
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Vitol trader John Addison's ties to JD Vance aided licenses for Venezuelan crude trading. Licenses granted to Vitol and Trafigura within days of January Maduro removal, via Addison's influence.
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Vance, Addison, Venezuela
Reuters reported that an investigation found that John Addison, described as an early financier of JD Vance’s political career, contacted Energy Secretary Chris Wright days after Nicolás Maduro’s capture, and that Vitol and Trafigura obtained licenses to trade Venezuelan crude. Reuters said the report described Vance allegedly meeting on December 27 with Addison, a Vitol gasoline trader and early political financier, in Montana, and the report said both discussed how quickly Venezuelan crude could be marketed if Washington took control of supplies.
Addison told Reuters, "And anyone who says otherwise is making it up, because I never told anyone that was true," denying the December 27 meeting in Montana. Addison confirmed to Reuters that on January 5 Wright called his Houston office to ask whether Vitol was interested in marketing Venezuelan oil, and the Energy Department confirmed Wright called Addison on January 5 to discuss Venezuela.
Licenses, profits, denials
Reuters said that within days of the January 5 call, Vitol and Trafigura obtained special licenses to sell Venezuelan crude, and Reuters said both companies attended a White House meeting on January 9 with Donald Trump and representatives of major international oil companies. Reuters reported that it estimated, based on calculations from an energy financial expert, that operators could earn between $3 and $3.50 per traded barrel, and it said Venezuela exported more than 200 million barrels during the period analyzed.
The Department of Energy told Reuters that Vitol was selected for being the world's largest energy and commodities trader, while the companies denied having received advance information about the military operation. Reuters also reported that a U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Vance told Wright in a conversation that Addison was a trusted person in the energy sector, and the official said that conversation occurred at least a year before the January 5 phone call.
Democrats press oversight
Reuters said the case sparked questions from Democratic lawmakers about license transparency and the possible influence of personal relationships on contracts, and Reuters said the Department of Energy defended its selection of Vitol while the companies denied advance notice of the military operation. Reuters reported that Robert Garcia, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and its future chair, sent letters in January to Vitol and Trafigura asking about the circumstances under which they obtained licenses.
“‘We will hold the owners fully accountable,’ Akhter told reporters.”
Garcia told Reuters, "The new reports that JD Vance met with a senior Vitol executive before Maduro’s capture raise even more questions about who knew what and when," linking the Montana contact to concerns about advance awareness. Reuters reported that the Trump administration defended skipping a competitive bidding process, arguing that acting quickly after Maduro’s detention was essential to stabilizing Venezuela’s ailing economy and ensuring that daily services and debt restructuring efforts received immediate funding.