John Addison, the former Vitol trader who helped secure early access to Venezuelan oil sales, now co-chairs the federal advisory board serving Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the same official who contacted him about the business in January.
Newly disclosed details of that call sharpen questions about how Washington selected private traders and later brought one of their dealmakers into energy policymaking.
The Department of Energy appointed Addison to the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board in July. Its members advise Wright on energy, national security, and departmental operations, but have no binding decision-making authority. Addison shares the chairmanship with GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik.
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Reuters reported Wednesday that Wright called Addison on January 5, two days after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, to ask whether Vitol wanted to market the country’s crude.
Both Addison and the department confirmed the conversation. Vitol and Trafigura subsequently obtained special US licenses to handle Venezuelan oil.
The new reporting identifies a direct route into an opportunity that was already public. Vitol’s early access and Addison’s campaign spending had been reported in January. Reuters also reported that Vance previously told Wright Addison was trustworthy, citing Addison and an unnamed US official who placed that endorsement at least a year before the call.
According to federal campaign records reviewed by Reuters, Addison donated $300,000 to a committee supporting Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign. Addison and his wife contributed $7 million to political committees in 2024, including $5 million to a pro-Trump group.
The administration says Vitol was selected because of its scale and trading capacity. The initial licenses were sanctions authorizations rather than ordinary federal procurement awards, making the absence of competitive bidding a transparency question rather than proof that procurement law was broken.
The economics remain difficult to audit. Reuters cited an expert estimate of $3 to $3.50 profit per barrel for the traders, but Vitol and Trafigura keep their commercial terms confidential. Neither their deal-specific earnings nor Addison’s financial benefit has been established publicly.
A source cited by Reuters also alleged Addison discussed Venezuelan oil with Vance in Montana on December 27. Both denied meeting. Records showing their aircraft at the same airport do not verify a conversation, and both trading houses deny advance warning of military operations.
House Oversight Democrat Robert Garcia sought company communications with the administration in January. With Democrats preparing to take control of congressional committees, Wright said Tuesday he would welcome investigations.
