Overview
- Snopes reports no evidence that ex-spy chief Hugo Carvajal released a list of U.S. senators who took payments from Venezuelan officials or traffickers.
- The rumor traces to a December 2025 X post without documentation, and Snopes says it could not independently verify a purported Carvajal prison letter.
- Carvajal pleaded guilty in June 2025 in SDNY to narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses, establishing him as a central figure in the U.S. cases.
- A CBS legal analyst suggested Carvajal could be a cooperating witness, though there is no public confirmation of any cooperation or planned testimony.
- U.S. forces recently captured Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores; they pleaded not guilty in New York and remain in custody, while the U.S. has designated the Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization.