Hundreds of millions of dollars that the United States is raising from the sale of Venezuelan oil is being sequestered in Qatar. The Trump administration confirmed the first sale of Venezuelan oil Wednesday, saying it raised $500 million. Venezuelan banks have started advertising cash, suggesting the oil proceeds have arrived in the country, two sources with knowledge of Venezuela’s financial system said. “It’s very troubling.”That doesn’t suggest that the Trump administration is going to try to do anything nefarious with the money. Some critics of the Trump administration are questioning Trump’s motivation to send the money to Qatar.

Source: CNN January 16, 2026 15:08 UTC