State Department clashes with Democrats over Venezuela briefing

Briefing postponed

Four senior Senate Democrats sought documents and more information about the Trump administration’s agreement with North American Blue Energy Partner, or NABEP. A briefing for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had been planned for Oct. 1, 2026, but it was moved after the Senate left Washington for its fall recess.

The State Department said the senators had known for weeks that administration officials intended to brief the committee and deliver documents. Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson called the Democrats’ demand “pure grandstanding” and accused them of canceling the meeting to leave town.

Emails reviewed by Fox News showed that a Republican majority staffer on the committee asked the State Department to postpone the briefing until November because the Senate had left. A State Department official said the staffer was acting for the full committee. A congressional official said Republican leaders had ended legislative work for the week and senators from both parties were preparing to leave Washington before the midterm elections.

Questions over the oil stake

The Democratic senators are challenging the legality and prudence of an arrangement that would give the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital rights to a 35% equity stake in one of Venezuela’s largest oil producers. Those rights would be obtained through warrants allowing the office to acquire shares at a nominal price.

The State Department delivered copies of the U.S. government’s strategic partnership agreement with NABEP to the committee despite the postponement. A congressional official disputed the department’s account, saying lawmakers had not been told before sending their letter that the written agreement would be delivered. The official also said the planned session was a broader update on U.S. policy toward Venezuela, rather than a briefing focused only on the oil agreement.