Venezuela’s opening drew $3.6 million in lobbying last quarter, and most of it went through the State Department’s door

By Ifeoma Larkin

WASHINGTON — Companies seeking a piece of Venezuela’s reopening paid Washington lobbyists at least $3.6 million in the third quarter, and the agency they most often said they were lobbying was the State Department, according to an Inquisitor Data review of federal disclosure reports filed this month.

The Washington Inquisitor identified 30 third-quarter reports from outside lobbying firms in which every listed issue mentions Venezuela, from oil-field approvals and crude purchases to telecommunications, health care and the return of seized property. The State Department appears on 23 of them, more than any other agency. The Energy Department is named on 12, the White House Office on 10 and the Treasury Department, which issues sanctions licenses, on 7.

One firm dominates. Ballard Partners filed 13 of the reports and accounted for $2.56 million of the $3.6 million, about 71 percent. Founder Brian Ballard is listed as a lobbyist on all 13.

A diplomatic opening, and a line at the door

The filings cover July through September, months in which the administration expanded its Venezuela opening. The State Department said in February that the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had issued a series of general licenses “at record speed” for companies to market Venezuelan oil, supply the oil industry and negotiate contingent investment contracts. Those contracts, the department said, the administration “will subsequently review for approval.” The U.S. Embassy in Caracas reopened March 30 after seven years without diplomatic relations, and last week it reactivated its Marine security detachment, Venezuela Tribune reported.

That case-by-case review is where lobbyists come in. The largest single Venezuela-focused report came from Tipco Asphalt, a Thai company. It paid Ballard $460,000 for “guidance pertaining to licenses and/or authorizations from the State Department to acquire Venezuelan crude directly from Venezuela,” with contacts listed at State and Treasury.

The State Department’s role reaches down to the embassy level. In a $10,000 report, Covenant Government Affairs said its work for Resource Rock Exploration was “to facilitate a meeting” with John M. Barrett, the chargé d’affaires in Caracas, for an introduction to Venezuelan mining officials.

The biggest accounts

The Washington Inquisitor reported last week on Ballard’s Venezuela registrations for the agribusiness company Agroisleña and for Servicios Petroleros del Sur. The full set of third-quarter reports shows that the practice is wider than those cases. They include a Spanish exploration company, a Dutch-registered engineering group and a Panamanian petroleum company. Ballard’s reports for three of its Venezuela clients, Agroisleña, ELO Atlantic and Maha Energy, also name Micah Ketchel, who lists 2025 posts as a senior adviser at the State Department and as special assistant to the president and senior adviser to the national security adviser.

Other firms report smaller books. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck reported $490,000 across three Venezuela clients. Continental Strategy reported $135,000 from the drilling contractor Helmerich & Payne, with former Organization of American States Ambassador Carlos Trujillo among the listed lobbyists. Checkmate Government Relations reported $90,000 from the law firm Eversheds Sutherland on behalf of the French oil producer Maurel & Prom for “agency engagement focused on sanctions and energy policy related to Venezuela.” Thorn Run Partners’ work for Vientos del Caribe, on the “repatriation of seized American property in Venezuela,” lists Louis Sola, a former chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.

What the reports do and don’t show

Lobbying reports show who is paying, how much in round numbers and which agencies were contacted. They do not show which officials took meetings or whether any license or approval followed. OFAC does not publish specific-license decisions. Nothing in the filings suggests that any firm or client acted improperly.

The tally is conservative. It counts only reports in which every listed lobbying issue mentions Venezuela, so it leaves out companies that lobbied on Venezuela alongside other issues. Those include Gran Tierra Energy, which paid Continental Strategy $300,000, and Chevron, whose in-house report covers dozens of topics. It also leaves out Citgo Petroleum, the Venezuelan-owned refiner whose reports do not mention the country. Some third-quarter reports, due Oct. 20, are still being posted.

Who was asked

The Washington Inquisitor is seeking comment from Ballard Partners, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Continental Strategy, Corcoran Partners, Thorn Run Partners, Covenant Government Affairs and Tipco Asphalt. The story will be updated with any replies.