Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify Tuesday in the criminal trial of former Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., his friend and onetime housemate, who is accused of secretly lobbying for the Venezuelan government.
Rivera, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013 before becoming a lobbyist, and his associate Esther Nuhfer were indicted in 2022 on charges of working as unregistered foreign agents for Venezuela and money laundering.
Federal prosecutors allege that Rivera was lobbying the first Trump administration on behalf of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with Rubio being a target in his efforts to reach the White House.
Rivera has pleaded not guilty. Rubio is not accused of wrongdoing. He was called by federal prosecutors to take the stand as a witness, making it the first time in more than 40 years that a sitting Cabinet member will testify in a criminal trial.








