WASHINGTON/HOUSTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) – The Trump administration did not consult with oil companies Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, or Chevron Corp about Venezuela before or after U.S. forces captured the South American country’s president Nicolas Maduro Jan. 3, according to four oil industry executives familiar with the matter.
That contradicts President Donald Trump’s assertion aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he had spoken to all of the U.S. oil companies “before and after” Maduro’s capture about his plans for investing in the country.
“Nobody in those three companies has had conversations with the White House about operating in Venezuela, pre-removal or post-removal to this point,” one of the sources said.
The three other sources also said the three companies had no prior knowledge about the U.S. operation to seize Maduro, and had held no conversations with the Trump administration about investing there as of Sunday.
The sources asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Sheila Dang; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
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