Did senators accept money from Venezuelan dictator
Executive summary
There is no credible, publicly available evidence that named U.S. senators accepted cash kickbacks from Nicolás Maduro’s government; the explosive “Venezuela list” claim traces back to social‑media posts and partisan outlets and rests on unverified letters and assertions rather than corroborated documents or prosecutions [1] [2]. Reporting by mainstream fact‑checkers and open records searches turned up no verified list or named senators; some sources note Carvajal made broad allegations about payments to diplomats and intelligence officers but did not identify specific U.S. lawmakers [1] [2].
1. How the allegation surfaced and who is pushing it
The claim that Hugo Carvajal — Venezuela’s former intelligence chief — “released” a list of U.S. senators taking millions in kickbacks circulated first in social posts and partisan blogs that amplified a December 2025 prison letter purportedly from Carvajal; outlets promoting the story framed it as a blockbuster confession and linked it to domestic political battles [3] [4]. Fact‑checking outlets traced the narrative to reposts and a small number of outlets such as the Dallas Express and fringe websites that published sensational headlines without posting primary documents for independent review [2] [4].
2. What Carvajal actually said, according to public reporting
Available reporting indicates Carvajal has alleged Venezuelan efforts to influence U.S. interests and suggested payments to U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers, but he did not publicly name specific U.S. senators in the materials that fact‑checkers examined; Snopes found no confirmed release of a “Venezuela list” with senator names and noted the absence of documentary proof accompanying the social posts [1] [2]. Where documents or letters have been cited in support of the list claim, those documents have not been produced to mainstream newsrooms or legal filings in a way that independent reporters can verify [3] [2].
3. Credibility of the sources making the accusation
The most prominent promoters of the list are partisan social accounts and sites that have a record of publishing unverified “intel drops” and conspiracy framing; one such site republished an alleged confession as a political victory without providing underlying evidence that would meet journalistic or judicial standards [4] [3]. By contrast, established fact‑checkers and mainstream news organizations reported that they found no evidence tying named senators to kickbacks and highlighted the lack of verifiable documentation [1] [2].
4. Context: political incentives and countervailing evidence
The allegation arrives amid heightened U.S.–Venezuela tensions — including U.S. legal actions and military operations against Maduro’s regime — and a domestic political environment in which accusations of foreign influence are weaponized by opposing camps [5] [6]. Some senators have been active in anti‑Maduro legislation, such as the STOP MADURO Act introduced by Cruz, Scott and Cassidy, which makes the bribery claim less plausible without corroboration because those lawmakers pursued punitive measures, not protective policies [5]. OpenSecrets reporting from earlier years shows foreign‑connected PAC money can complicate influence questions more broadly, but it does not substantiate the specific charge that Maduro paid U.S. senators directly [7].
5. What would change the assessment — and what remains unknown
The responsible standard is documentary proof: verifiable letters, bank records, court filings or indictments naming specific senators that can be independently examined. None of those have been produced publicly as of available reporting; fact‑checkers explicitly note the absence of such proof and that the “full list” assertions exceed what Carvajal’s publicly described statements contain [1] [2]. Reporting limitations mean it is possible that new, verifiable evidence could emerge; absent that evidence, the claim remains unproven and driven by partisan amplification [3] [4].