Vance, Oil Trader Deny Meeting Cited in Reuters Report on Venezuela Deal

The disputed account

November 11, 2026, 11:38 a.m. Central time.

Vice President JD Vance’s office and former Vitol trader John Addison denied meeting in Montana shortly before the U.S. operation in Venezuela, after Reuters reported that the two had discussed Venezuelan oil there.

The news agency attributed the account to a person who said Addison had described the meeting. Reuters said flight records placed their aircraft at the same airport on December 27, 2025; those records alone do not establish that the men met or what they discussed. Addison and Vance’s office told Reuters the meeting did not happen.

The call and the license

Addison told Reuters that Energy Secretary Chris Wright called him on January 5, two days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, about whether Vitol wanted to sell Venezuelan crude. The Energy Department confirmed the call to Reuters.

Vitol and rival Trafigura received special licenses to sell Venezuelan oil within days. An earlier Reuters report independently documented the licenses in January.

Why the relationship matters

Addison told Reuters that Vance had vouched for him to Wright. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, confirmed Vance had described Addison as trustworthy but said the conversation occurred at least a year before the January call.

The Energy Department told Reuters that Vance and Wright never discussed Venezuelan oil sales and that it selected Vitol because of its size as an energy and commodities trader. Vitol and Trafigura told Reuters they had no advance knowledge of U.S. military operations.

Questions about access

Congressional Democrats had already sought information about who benefited from oil licenses. In January, the Associated Press reported on their concerns about political donations and the administration’s handling of sales. The White House said it was safeguarding the oil for the benefit of Venezuela and the United States.

The Reuters account raises questions about access and the selection process; it does not by itself establish that a law was broken. The alleged Montana meeting remains disputed.

Timeline

December 27, 2025: Reuters says flight records placed the aircraft at the same Montana airport; both men deny meeting. January 3, 2026: U.S. forces captured Maduro. January 5: Wright called Addison, according to Addison and the Energy Department. November 11: Reuters published its investigation.

Where

The star marks the approximate Caracas area, Venezuela’s capital region; oil sales involve multiple locations.

Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Sources and visual credits

Reuters investigation · Associated Press: January oversight questions · Reuters: January oil licenses

Hero and thumbnail: conceptual editorial illustration, not a photograph.