Blackwater founder Erik Prince ‘held secret talks’ with top Maduro ally in Venezuela
- Visit comes shortly after the security executive and Trump supporter floated plan to deploy private army to help topple the socialist leader
- Meeting could raise questions about whether Prince has broken US law, which prohibits Americans from business dealings with sanctioned individuals
Erik Prince, the controversial private security executive and prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump, made a secret visit to Venezuela last month and met Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez, one of socialist leader Nicolas Maduro’s closest and most outspoken allies, according to five sources familiar with the matter.
The visit, described by one source as “outreach” by Prince to Maduro’s government, came just eight months after the founder of the private security firm Blackwater floated a plan to deploy a private army to help the Venezuelan opposition topple Maduro.
It was unclear what Prince, the brother of Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, discussed with Rodriguez. The meeting was first reported by Bloomberg.
A meeting with Rodriguez, who is under US sanctions, could raise questions about whether Prince might have run afoul of US law, which prohibits Americans from virtually any business dealings with sanctioned individuals and specifically with the Venezuelan government. The Venezuelan vice-president’s office also oversees the country’s national intelligence service.
Prince informed one White House official of the planned meeting ahead of his trip, but it was not known whether he asked for approval or advice, according to one of the sources.