US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has testified in the trial of a former congressman accused of lobbying on behalf of Venezuela's government, becoming the first serving cabinet member to take the stand in a criminal trial since 1983.
Prosecutors say former congressman from Miami David Rivera illegally worked on behalf of Nicolás Maduro's government to influence the first Trump administration in the hopes of easing sanctions.
Rivera and a co-conspirator, Esther Nuhfer, were indicted in 2022 on money-laundering charges and for failing to register with the US government as a foreign agent.
He has denied any wrongdoing in the case, and Rubio has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
According to federal prosecutors in Florida, Rivera and Nuhfer received a $50m (£37.4m) contract for three months of work on behalf of a US-based subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA, which is also known as Citgo.
