“The Energy Department is in charge of this and they have some explaining to do.” Officials within the Energy Department are accused of favoring the more cautious approach championed by the majors when it comes to Venezuela. That’s America First,” Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump’s former top adviser on Venezuela, told Axios. “Instead, American wildcatters got stuck with onerous conditions and a competitive disadvantage versus the mostly foreign majors that were in bed with Maduro.” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the Energy Department “is ushering in unprecedented investment in Venezuela to restore its energy infrastructure.”