Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign took $5,000 last month from the company, which in recent months has purchased 200,000 barrels-a-day from Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. | AP Photo/John Raoux As Scott hammers Venezuela, his campaign takes contribution from biggest buyer of its oil

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Rick Scott hits the campaign trail trashing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he is accepting contributions from Valero Energy Corporation, a Texas oil refiner that is the biggest buyer of the country’s oil.

Scott’s campaign took $5,000 last month from the company, which in recent months has purchased 200,000 barrels-a-day from Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the country’s state-run oil company. The company boosted its purchases from Venezuela ahead of U.S. sanctions that were imposed earlier this week after Maduro was reelected, according to Reuters. The donations have not been previously reported.


Valero is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil, but Scott’s team says that any company giving to his campaign supports his platform, which includes ousting the Venezuelan president. A Valero representative didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

“The governor's position concerning Venezuela is abundantly clear,” said Kerri Wyland, a campaign spokeswoman. “Those who contribute to the campaign do so to support his candidacy, which includes calling for an end to the Maduro regime."

Scott has built part of his political brand around being a vocal Maduro critic over the past year. The U.S. government called this week’s Venezuelan election “a sham," and the country has been reeling in financial crisis.

In 2017, Scott got the Florida Cabinet to approve a plan blocking state investment in Venezuela, then during the 2018 legislative session led the charge to pass a bill putting that measure in state law. Scott also met earlier this year with opposition leaders and promised to crack down on Maduro when meeting with Venezuelan Supreme Court justices in January. The justices say they are exiled because they pushed for democratic reforms in the country.

Scott’s focus on Venezuela comes as people from the country become more politically important in Florida, and as Scott eyed a run for Senate, a post that requires a broader foreign policy portfolio.

“Together, we will continue to shine a light on the unacceptable political tyranny and violence that is inflicted by Maduro and his ruthless thugs,” Scott said in a statement when lawmakers passed the Venezuela investment ban legislation.

Scott has not yet had to file a quarterly campaign finance report, but some contributions to his campaign show up in Federal Election Commission records because other donors must report each month.

He has been running aggressively since announcing his campaign against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson. Scott and his allies quickly funded more than $10 million in TV ads, a sign that his campaign is both raising large sums of cash and that he is likely using his personal wealth to give his run an early boost.