American oil tycoon Harry Sargent, who was considered a close supporter of Donald Trump and one of the architects of American policy in Venezuela after the capture of its President Nicolas Maduro, openly criticizes the head of the White House and the actions of his administration behind the scenes. Comedian Suzanne Lambert happened to be in the same bar as Sargent and accidentally overheard his conversation, which she reported on her Instagram. After this publication, Sargent’s relationship with the Trump administration became complicated, Axios writes.
The story took place on August 18 in the Bourbon Lounge of the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington. According to Lambert, she was working in a bar on material for her performance when Sargent appeared next to her. He was later joined by two more influential Republicans – former State Department official Pete Morocco and businessman Gentry Beach.
As RTVI reported, billionaire Sargent III is a major donor to the US Republican Party, an old friend of Trump and his golf partner. Sargent's companies have operated in Venezuela since the 1990s. According to Reuters, the billionaire organized a communication channel between the White House and Caracas after the overthrow of Maduro. The businessman eventually became Washington’s main consultant on issues of working with Caracas, and it was he who lobbied for Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to replace Maduro as head of Venezuela.
Morocco, according to Fox News, played a key role in the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Beach is a longtime friend of President Donald Trump Jr.'s son and is involved in international business projects. According to the Wall Street Journal, he, in particular, was allegedly interested in acquiring a stake in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.
Lambert said she didn't pay attention to the men's conversation at first, but listened when they kept mentioning Trump.
“I hear: Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump,” she said.
According to her, Sargent, among other things, spoke negatively about the president and the prospects of the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections to Congress.
Lambert's video has received nearly 2 million views. After this, lawyers for Sargent, who categorically denied the words attributed to him, sent a request to her to stop spreading allegations about the businessman.
“Mr. Sargent fully supports President Trump's vision, leadership and tireless efforts to put America first,” attorney Jason Wright said in a statement.
The comedian deleted the post, but by that time it had already circulated among Trump's advisers. According to Axios, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with whom Sargent has had a difficult relationship since 2010, was also informed about the video.
As Axios writes, all this has complicated the tycoon’s already unstable position in relations with the White House. Back in February, Trump said Sargent “has no authority” to act on behalf of the United States in Venezuela. And in August, the Treasury Department froze the assets of an offshore company associated with Sargent, Bluewave Properties, which was involved in oil projects in Venezuela. Sargent also had to sell his stake in North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP). A few days later, as RTVI reported, NABEP received contracts to develop 17 oil fields in Venezuela. On those same days, Sargent’s conversation took place in a Washington bar.
