Senator Ruben Rubio's testimony in the trial of Venezuelan politician, Rafael Rivera, has shed light on his friend's involvement in the country's efforts to manipulate the U.S. into normalizing relations before Nicolas Maduro established himself as an election-rigging dictator in 2017. Rubio testified that Rivera did not disclose he had a $50 million consulting deal with CITGO, the U-S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA, which he challenged, claiming he would have known that he was representing an entity controlled by the Venezuelan government. The case hinges on whether Rivera was working on behalf of Maduro's government, or was working against his own interests to have him peacefully leave office. The testimony also sheds light on a potential assassination plot involving the former Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro.