Trump’s Venezuela fixer is promoting ‘America First’ oil deals

Seven months after Maduro's capture, Alejandro Betancourt, dogged by probes, is now brokering access for wildcatters as major US oil companies balk

A Venezuelan mogul who minted a fortune selling power turbines and pumping oil has emerged as the Trump administration’s fixer for promoting “America First” deals for favored US companies, as Washington moves to exert more influence in the resource-rich South American country.