Interview with former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton, who makes it clear that he is no dove on Venezuela, but nevertheless has “a bad feeling” about the way the current policy is trending.
Below, former Trump insider Lev Parnas, who, credibly, it would seem, claims some insight into the process that nearly brought about a Venezuelan military action in the first Trump term, has a substack post on what’s happening.
He’s asking for donations of course, but his story nevertheless rings true.
Let me tell you the truth:
This is not about drugs. This is not about democracy.
This is about controlling Venezuelan oil and who gets rich off it.
And I’m not saying that as a pundit.
I’m saying it as someone who was in the room the last time they tried this.
I Was Inside the Venezuela Oil Deal in 2019
I was working with:
- Rudy Giuliani
- Congressman Pete Sessions
- Powerful Republican donors
- And key members of Trump’s inner circle
We weren’t talking about freedom. We weren’t talking about human rights.
We were talking about oil — specifically, a deal for roughly two billion barrels of oil from PDVSA, Venezuela’s state oil company.
The plan was as corrupt as it was simple:
- Give Nicolás Maduro a “soft landing” — a safe way out, protections, guarantees.
- In exchange, Trump-aligned insiders would lock up control over a massive share of Venezuelan oil.
- Trump’s friends, donors, and fixers would walk away with contracts and leverage.
- The Venezuelan people — and the American public — would be left in the dark.
I personally took part in a call with Maduro as part of those back-channel talks.
This is not theory. This was real, it was moving, and it was being driven from inside Trump world.
And here’s what most people don’t know: it almost worked. We didn’t just talk about a deal — we actually got a contract signed. The paperwork was done, the structure was in place, and Trump’s orbit was already circling those billions of barrels like they were locked up. The only thing we couldn’t pull off was giving Maduro the “soft landing” we’d promised him in exchange. I still have that contract, and when you see it, you’ll understand this was never some abstract policy idea — it was a real blueprint to seize Venezuela’s oil for Trump’s inner circle.
So why didn’t it happen?
Not because anyone “found their conscience.”
It blew up because John Bolton and the hawks decided they wanted a more aggressive path — maximum pressure, regime change, even military options.
Bolton pulled the plug on the back-channel deal and backed the more public, hard-line approach.
This Time There Is No Bolton, No Pompeo – Only Enablers
Look at who’s in the Oval Office tonight:
- Pete Hegseth — true-believer loyalist
- Marco Rubio — the self-appointed Venezuela hawk
- General Kane — the military muscle
- Susie Wiles — the political power broker
No Bolton. No Pompeo.
No one who even pretends to be a check.
These are not guardrails.
These are accelerants.
I know these people.
I was around them.
I sat in those rooms where foreign policy was treated like a real estate deal: “What’s the asset, who controls it, how do we get our share?”
When they look at Venezuela, they don’t first see 30 million people living under a dictator.
They see:
- Oil fields
- Shipping routes
- Refineries
- Contracts
- Leverage
And tonight they will be sitting in the Oval Office talking about how to turn all of that into a Trump-world jackpot.
The Cover Story vs. The Real Agenda
Here’s how this script goes — I’ve watched it before:
Step 1: Create the crisis frame.
You’ll hear about “narco-terrorists,” “drug routes,” “threats to America,” and “protecting the homeland.”
Step 2: Justify escalation.
Once the narrative is set, they can talk about drone strikes, “limited” operations, blockades, or other military options — all under the banner of “fighting drugs.”
Step 3: Carve up the prize.
Behind the scenes, the question becomes: who gets the oil, who gets the contracts, and who becomes the middleman between Venezuelan crude and the world.
That’s what we were working on in 2019.
That’s what I see them moving toward now.
My sources are telling me that tonight’s meeting is about Venezuela’s future — but the subtext is who controls Venezuelan oil if Maduro is weakened, toppled, or pressured into a deal.
They’ll talk about cartels for the cameras.
They’ll talk about oil in private.
Why I’m Warning You Before the Press Conferences
By the time they step to the microphones, the decisions will already be made.
You’ll see:
- Carefully scripted press conferences
- Talking points about “protecting the hemisphere”
- Panels debating tactics and polls, not who profits from the oil
This is why I’m writing to you now, before the “official story” is rolled out.
Because:
- I still have sources inside this world.
- I still understand how Trump’s network thinks and moves.
- And I still carry the responsibility of having once helped build this machine.