The Department of the Interior is taking control of Venezuelan gold sales.
Posted by The MeidasTouch Podcast, Checked
- Sources
- 3 contradict5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The MeidasTouch PodcastSep 15, 2026
The sources support the core claim that Interior is directly involved in Venezuelan gold sales: Interior Secretary Burgum brokered and signed an agreement to sell up to 1,000 kg of Venezuelan gold, and reported bringing $100 million of gold to the U.S.
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This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Balance sheet, and well, okay. Are the accounts that the Treasury is managing tied only to the sale of oils, or are you also taking control of other Venezuelan assets? Uh, it is many Venezuelan assets. So you've asserted control over Venezuelan assets? I know Interior recently said they're taking control of Venezuelan gold sales, so we're also taking control of those assets and the dispersions? Yeah, you can't testify, as we sit here, whether or not those are flowing to U.S. Persons? No. Can you identify where or what U.S. Bank those funds are being held? …
The MeidasTouch Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters and AP report that the U.S. issued a license on March 6, 2026 for transactions with state-owned Minerven, a day after Interior Secretary Burgum visited Venezuela focused on mining.[1][2]
Supports. Latin Times reports Burgum met with interim president Delcy Rodríguez to sign an agreement with Minerven to sell as much as 1,000 kilograms of gold destined for U.S. markets.[6]
Supports. CNBC reports Burgum said the U.S. brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela for U.S. refiners, and the NYT describes the administration brokering gold deals led with Burgum.[5][7]
Contradicts. The formal authorization for gold transactions came from the Treasury's OFAC (General License 51), not Interior, and a CFR analysis says export revenue goes into U.S. Treasury accounts, which qualifies how much control rests with Interior.[3][4][8]
Context. Sources describe the Trump administration as controlling Venezuelan gold and mineral exports, a framing that covers multiple agencies rather than Interior alone.[4]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 1 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1After official hails mining potential, US allows some ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2EEUU emite licencia que autoriza la venta de oro ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURYofac.treasury.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 4The U.S. Took Over Venezuela's Oil Industry. Where Has All ...humanrightscommission.house.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, context
- 5Trump Brought Venezuelan Gold to the U.S., but Refiners ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 6Interior Secretary Visit to Venezuela Reinforces U.S. Push for Access to the Country's Mineral Reserveslatintimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7U.S. brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela ...cnbc.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8OFAC Eases Sanctions on Venezuelan-Origin Gold | Publications | Cleary Gottliebclearygottlieb.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post