President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. has sold more than $13 billion of Venezuelan oil this year.
The U.S. seized control of Venezuela's oil exports after capturing former President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid on January 3. Trump was responding to a question about a Financial Times' report that estimated how much money his administration had collected from the sales.
"$13 billion from Venezuela? I think even more than that," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to Michigan to tour a General Motors' facility. "We've paid for that war many times over."
Democrats in Congress have pressed the Trump administration to disclose how much money it has collected from the sales, how the funds are spent, and how the program is monitored.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Semafor in an April interview that the U.S. had sold around 150 million barrels of Venezuelan oil since January.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.