GOP Senator Bought Oil, Defense Stocks Days Before U.S. Operation Targeting Maduro: Report

Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin disclosed purchasing shares in Chevron Corporation and RTX Corporation days before the United States carried out a high-profile operation targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to financial filings reviewed by Quiver Quantitative.

The Oklahoma Republican bought between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of shares in each company on Dec. 29, 2025, less than a week before U.S. authorities captured Maduro on Jan. 3 as part of an escalating pressure campaign against the Venezuelan government. The transactions were jointly owned and were publicly disclosed on Jan. 16, 2026.

Mullin serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which oversees U.S. military policy, defense programs and national security matters.

Chevron has direct exposure to U.S. policy toward Venezuela through sanctions, licensing and oil-sector restrictions, while RTX is a major defense contractor whose revenue is closely tied to U.S. military procurement and operations. Since the purchases, Chevron shares have risen about 10.1% and RTX shares about 9.5%, outperforming a largely flat S&P 500 over the same period.

In interviews early in December, Mullin publicly defended the Trump administration's expanding actions against Venezuela while denying that U.S. ground troops would be deployed inside the country.

"He's made it very clear we're not going to put troops into Venezuela," Mullin told CNN's State of the Union, adding that the administration's focus was maritime and aerial enforcement. "What we're trying to do is protect our own shores."

Mullin also backed U.S. military strikes on vessels accused of drug trafficking in the Caribbean, dismissing concerns over their legality. "Why do we care if we take them out in international water?" he said during the same interview.

In another portion of the same interview, Mullin said the Trump administration had offered Maduro an opportunity to leave the country voluntarily before his removal. "We told him he could go to Russia or another country," Mullin said, adding that U.S. pressure was aimed at forcing an exit by the Venezuelan leader and senior regime officials.