The ruler in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Eloína Rodríguez, registered a Californian lawyer as a foreign agent with the United States Department of Justice on April 14, 2026, according to a official document of the FARA registry (Foreign Agents Registration Act or Foreign Agents Registration Act).
The jurist Jihad M. Smaili, with a law firm based in California, appears in FARA registration number 7715. The hiring occurred on April 11 through an oral agreement that will be formalized in writing in the coming days, details the document that circulated this Wednesday, April 15.
According to the document presented, Smaili will represent Rodríguez in pending and future litigation related to Pdvsa, Citgo and creditor claims. In addition, he will offer daily advice to the Venezuelan official on matters involving the State Department and the White House.
The explicit objective of the contract, the document adds, is to strengthen and advance the current relationship between Venezuela and the United States “for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.”
The agreement also includes support for the “future political campaign” of Rodríguez, whom the text identifies as a candidate in the next presidential elections in Venezuela.
Another specific purpose is to work on the lifting of the sanctions that the US has imposed on certain sectors of Venezuela.
This move marks Smaill’s first FARA registration and comes just weeks after the US government lifted personal sanctions against Rodriguez.
The information comes from the public monitor FARA, which tracks the activities of foreign agents on US soil.
