The Venezuelan dictator President Nicolas Maduro handed Donald Trump a cool half million dollars for his Inauguration Party, even as millions of Venezuelans starved. Never mind that it was illegal for the U.S. president to accept gifts from foreign governments.

The Federal Election Committee [FEC] reported this as one of the largest corporate donations to Trump’s inauguration, according to the Miami New Times.

The citizens of Venezuela faced terrible shortages, and that $500,000 donation could have alleviated much suffering.

The Miami New Times wrote that Maduro funneled the money through Venezuela’s government-owned Citgo Petroleum to Trump’s inaugural committee:

‘Newly filed federal campaign records show, Maduro’s regime gave half a million bucks to Donald Trump to help him throw a party in Washington, D.C. Through the state-owned Citgo Petroleum, Maduro’s government dropped that cash to Trump’s inaugural committee: one of the largest corporate donations listed on the newly filed federal disclosures.’

NPR reported that Trump sold personal time for access to the new president and vice president in the form of a donation:

‘The money also bought time with the president and vice president — those donating more than $500,000 were treated to dinner with Vice President Pence and his wife, Karen.’

Then, there were the ever-present Russia connections. Apparently, last November the Venezuelan oil company mortgaged its interest in Citgo to borrow cash from Russia’s government-owned oil company Rosneft. It was a dangerous gamble.

If the South American country cannot repay the Russians, they will lose Citgo. This impacts approximately five percent of the U.S.’ gas refining, and would hit Americans right in their pockets.

Venezuela’s economy is in such desperate straits that there are literally millions of people starving. Food, gas, and medicine shortages abound. Hundreds of thousands of people protested in the “Mother of All Protests” Wednesday, when three people died.

The official Venezuelan inflation rate was set at 274 percent last year, and experts thought the actual rate was far higher, according to Reuters Business.

At home, the self-described socialist revolutionary ranted about the evil American plots that were responsible for all of Maduro’s problems. Yet, Maduro was a skilled politician who knew the value of a friend in the White House.

Check out this video of Venezuela’s protests:

Featured Image: Lilian Tintori’s Twitter Page.