特朗普在空军一号上高调回应质疑，直言美军接管委石油出口后不仅“回本好几次”，更带来滚滚财源。但美政府对资金去向却三缄其口。

Trump responded forcefully on Air Force One to the doubts, stating that after the US military took over Venezuela's oil exports, not only did they "break even several times", but also brought in a huge amount of revenue. However, the US government remained tight-lipped about the whereabouts of the funds.

1月3日接管委内瑞拉石油出口后，特朗普政府如何处置相关原油销售收入，已成为美国国内新的争议焦点。特朗普本周一在乘坐空军一号前往密歇根州视察一家通用汽车设施时表示，美国从出售委内瑞拉原油中获得的资金“比130亿美元还要多”。

After taking over Venezuela's oil exports on January 3rd, how the Trump administration handled the revenue from the sale of crude oil has become a new source of controversy in the United States. On Monday, Trump said while aboard Air Force One on his way to inspect a General Motors facility in Michigan that the funds the US received from selling Venezuelan crude oil "were more than $13 billion".

他这番话是对《金融时报》相关报道的回应。特朗普对记者说：“从委内瑞拉拿到130亿美元？我认为比那还要多。”他同时表示，“我们已经为那场战争回本了好几次”，并称美国“正进账大量资金——从委内瑞拉拿到了上百亿美元”，这笔钱被用于维持委内瑞拉运转。

His remarks were a response to the relevant reports in the Financial Times. Trump told reporters, "Got 13 billion dollars from Venezuela? I think it's even more than that." He also said, "We have already recovered our investment several times from that war," and claimed that the United States "is receiving a large amount of funds - we got hundreds of billions from Venezuela," and this money was used to maintain the operation of Venezuela.

130亿美元争议：特朗普称“回本好几次”，政府说法前后不一

The $13 billion dispute: Trump claims "recovered the investment several times", while the government's statements vary.

根据《金融时报》的计算，特朗普政府今年已从委内瑞拉石油销售中获得超过130亿美元收入，但对资金具体去向“几乎三缄其口”。这家媒体指出，在今年1月美国强行控制马杜罗、扶持时任副总统德尔西·罗德里格斯为领导人后，美国接管了委内瑞拉石油出口，并暂停了部分制裁。

According to calculations by the Financial Times, the Trump administration has earned over 13 billion US dollars from Venezuela's oil sales this year, but has been "almost silent" about the specific use of the funds. The media pointed out that after the United States forcibly took control of Maduro and supported then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the leader in January this year, the United States took over Venezuela's oil exports and suspended some sanctions.

《金融时报》援引测算称，美国获取的石油收入约占委内瑞拉国内生产总值（GDP）的四分之一。解除制裁原本被认为有望对该国经济形成显著提振，但即便在上个月毁灭性地震发生前，委内瑞拉经济也已处于危机之中。

The Financial Times quoted a calculation stating that the oil revenue obtained by the United States accounts for approximately one quarter of Venezuela's gross domestic product (GDP). The lifting of sanctions was originally expected to significantly boost the country's economy, but even before the devastating earthquake last month, Venezuela's economy was already in crisis.

美国接管这些资金已过去六个月，经济学家普遍认为，委内瑞拉经济复苏迹象仍较弱，这可能意味着美国并未把全部新增石油收入汇回委内瑞拉。与此相对应的是，华盛顿对这些资金性质和用途的说法一直存在明显差异。

It has been six months since the United States took over these funds. Economists generally believe that the economic recovery in Venezuela remains weak, which might indicate that the United States has not repatriated all the newly-earned oil revenues to Venezuela. Correspondingly, there have been significant differences in Washington's descriptions of the nature and usage of these funds.

特朗普于1月9日签署的行政命令写明，这笔钱属于委内瑞拉政府财产，由美国以托管身份持有。1月份更早的行政命令则称，相关资金将以“托管和政府身份”保存在美国政府账户中。

The executive order signed by Trump on January 9 stated that this sum of money belongs to the Venezuelan government and is held by the United States in a custodial capacity. An earlier executive order in January stated that the relevant funds would be kept in US government accounts "in a custodial and government capacity".

但特朗普本人在1月份突袭行动后不久曾表示，这些收入“将由我来控制”。到了6月，他又称美国已经通过这些石油“28次”收回了在委内瑞拉军事行动的成本，并补充说美国“也赚了很多钱”。

But shortly after the January raid, Trump himself had stated that "these revenues will be under my control". By June, he had said that the United States had "recovered the cost of its military operations in Venezuela 28 times" through these oil sales, and added that the United States "also made a lot of money".

特朗普当时还说：“仅用48分钟就赢得了那场战争。我们运出了数百万桶石油。”美国能源部则曾表示，这笔资金“将为了美国人民和委内瑞拉人民的利益而拨付”。

At that time, Trump also said: "We won that war in just 48 minutes. We transported millions of barrels of oil." The US Department of Energy had previously stated that this fund "will be disbursed for the benefit of the American people and the people of Venezuela."

资金去了哪里？

Where did the funds go?

围绕资金流向，美国政府披露过一些细节，但整体仍不透明。美国能源部部长赖特4月份接受Semafor采访时透露，自1月份以来，美国已售出约1.5亿桶委内瑞拉石油。

Regarding the flow of funds, the US government has disclosed some details, but the overall situation remains opaque. US Energy Secretary Wright disclosed in an interview with Semafor in April that since January, the US has sold approximately 150 million barrels of Venezuelan oil.

赖特还在2月份表示，特朗普政府最初把5亿美元销售收入存入一个由美国政府控制的卡塔尔账户，随后又设立了一个财政部账户，并停止继续向该卡塔尔账户转入资金。国务卿鲁比奥6月份则在国会表示，这些石油销售由毕马威负责审计，资金存放在花旗银行一个账户中。

Wright also stated in February that the Trump administration initially deposited $500 million in sales revenue into a Qatar account controlled by the US government, then set up a Treasury Department account, and stopped continuing to transfer funds to the Qatar account. Secretary of State Rubio said in June in Congress that these oil sales were audited by KPMG and the funds were deposited in an account at Citibank.

鲁比奥强调：“这是一项持续的审计，因此并非一年一次，而是针对每一笔支出，每一笔拨款都由毕马威进行审计。”他还表示，相关拨款是依据特朗普1月9日发布的行政命令进行的。

Rubio emphasized: "This is a continuous audit, so it's not conducted once a year. Instead, for every expenditure and every grant, KPMG conducts the audit." He also stated that the relevant grants were made in accordance with the executive order issued by Trump on January 9th.

美国国务院高级官员迈克尔·科扎克4月份向国会透露，约有30亿美元已从财政部账户中拨出。按他的说法，这笔钱被用于支付委内瑞拉政府工作人员工资、为该国石油工业采购物资，以及其他获批用途。

In April, Michael Kozak, a senior official of the US State Department, informed the Congress that approximately 3 billion US dollars had been withdrawn from the Treasury Department's account. According to him, this money was used to pay the salaries of Venezuelan government workers, purchase supplies for the country's oil industry, and for other approved purposes.

在上周三的一场国会听证会上，科扎克再次说明了美国对资金的控制方式。他说：“那是他们的钱，但……他们必须得到我们的允许。”他并称，资金已被拨用于工资和石油工业设备等开支。

At a congressional hearing last Wednesday, Kozak once again explained the way the US controls funds. He said, "It's their money, but... they must get our permission." He also stated that the funds have been allocated for expenses such as wages and equipment for the oil industry.

美国国务院在声明中表示，在这一体系下，“数十亿美元已被注入委内瑞拉经济”。声明还称：“财务监控正在进行中，以确保资金能惠及委内瑞拉人民。”

The US State Department stated in its announcement that under this system, "billions of dollars have been injected into the Venezuelan economy." The statement also said: "Financial monitoring is underway to ensure that the funds reach the people of Venezuela."

一名财政部官员补充说，作为托管方，美国政府自1月以来一直与罗德里格斯政府合作，迅速为官方政府支出拨付资金，包括政府雇员工资，并确保委内瑞拉体系的流动性。

A Treasury official added that as the custodian, the US government has been working closely with the Rodriguez government since January, promptly allocating funds for official government expenditures, including government employee salaries, and ensuring the liquidity of the Venezuelan system.

美国官员同时表示，对石油资金的控制也被用来向罗德里格斯施加影响力，而这位曾是查韦斯政权关键成员的临时总统，目前正部分按照华盛顿的指示治理国家。

US officials also stated that the control over the oil funds was also used to exert influence on Rodriguez. This interim president, who was once a key member of Chavez's regime, is currently governing the country in part according to the instructions from Washington.

国会追问与震后压力：透明度争议持续升级

Congress Questions Post-earthquake Pressures: Transparency Dispute Continues to Escalate

美国两党议员都开始要求政府说明资金最终去向、监管方式以及如何防止分配过程中的腐败。民主党议员此前持续施压，要求政府公开究竟从原油销售中收取了多少资金、资金被如何使用，以及这一计划由谁监管。

Members of both parties in the US Congress have begun demanding that the government clarify the final destination of the funds, the regulatory methods, and how to prevent corruption during the distribution process. Democratic lawmakers have previously been pressuring the government to disclose exactly how much money was collected from crude oil sales, how the funds were used, and who was responsible for overseeing the plan.

据《金融时报》报道，知名民主党议员华金·卡斯特罗表示：“特朗普对委内瑞拉的军事干预从一开始就充斥着关于石油、权力和贪腐的算计，特朗普政府在缺乏透明度或保障措施的情况下，控制着数十亿美元的委内瑞拉石油收入。”他还说，国会一直被“蒙在鼓里”。

According to the Financial Times, renowned Democratic lawmaker Juan Castro stated: "The military intervention by Trump in Venezuela has been filled with calculations about oil, power and corruption from the very beginning. The Trump administration has controlled billions of dollars of Venezuelan oil revenues without any transparency or safeguards." He also said that Congress has been "kept in the dark".

来自南佛罗里达州的共和党议员玛丽亚·埃尔维拉·萨拉查也在周二一场听证会上呼吁公开相关报告，称“弄清资金去向的透明度至关重要”。众议院外交事务委员会的民主党人则表示，科扎克曾承诺提供季度报告，但自4月份后，他们没有收到任何后续信息。

Republican congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar from South Florida also called for the release of the relevant reports at a hearing on Tuesday, stating that "transparency in clarifying the whereabouts of the funds is of utmost importance". Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Kozak had promised to provide quarterly reports, but since April, they have not received any follow-up information.

《金融时报》对130亿美元的估算，来自货运与数据分析平台Kpler整理的1月以来委内瑞拉原油出货数据，并结合定价机构阿格斯对Merey特重质原油，以及Boscan、Hamaca两种较少见委内瑞拉原油品级的价格估测。该媒体称，这些价格数据并未覆盖所有油种，且仅从2月份开始记录。

The Financial Times' estimate of 13 billion US dollars was derived from the data on Venezuelan crude oil shipments compiled by the freight and data analysis platform Kpler since January, combined with the price estimations provided by the pricing agency Agence France-Presse for Merey heavy crude oil, as well as two less common Venezuelan crude oil grades, Boscan and Hamaca. The media stated that these price data do not cover all types of oil and only began to be recorded from February.

按《金融时报》的计算，自1月以来已运出且有直接估价的原油总值约为115亿美元；结合历史价格走势推算，未定价部分预计已使总额超过130亿美元。委内瑞拉政府为此还设立了一个专门网站追踪由美国主导的石油销售收入，但网站上目前只有一条记录，即3月份一笔3亿美元转账。

According to the calculation of the Financial Times, the total value of crude oil that has been shipped out and has a direct valuation since January is approximately 11.5 billion US dollars. Based on historical price trends, it is estimated that the unvalued portion has already brought the total amount over 13 billion US dollars. The Venezuelan government has thus set up a dedicated website to track the oil sales revenue led by the United States. However, currently on the website, there is only one record, which is a 300 million US dollar transfer in March.

争议加深

The dispute has intensified.

在经济层面，围绕这笔石油资金的争议也在加深。位于华盛顿的经济与政策研究中心的委内瑞拉经济学家FranciscoRodríguez表示，该国第一季度2.5%的官方增长率是近五年来最低水平。

On the economic front, the controversy surrounding this oil fund is also intensifying. Francisco Rodríguez, a Venezuelan economist at the Economic and Policy Center in Washington, said that the country's official growth rate of 2.5% in the first quarter was the lowest in the past five years.

他分析称：“尽管第一季度石油收入有所增加，但委内瑞拉经济之所以未能实现更快速的增长，很可能是因为美国并没有把增加的全部石油收入转交给委内瑞拉政府。”

He analyzed: "Although oil revenue increased in the first quarter, the reason why the Venezuelan economy failed to achieve a more rapid growth might be that the United States did not transfer all of the increased oil revenue to the Venezuelan government."

委内瑞拉经济学家、前反对派议员JoséGuerra也表示，石油收入理应比近几年高得多，并质问：“钱去哪儿了？毫无透明度可言，美国政府也不向我们通报。”

Venezuelan economist and former opposition lawmaker José Guerra also stated that the oil revenue should have been much higher than it has been in recent years, and questioned: "Where did the money go? There is no transparency at all, and the US government doesn't even inform us."

专注委内瑞拉的咨询公司Ecoanalítica主管AlejandroGrisanti则指出，过去两个月有迹象显示大量美元流入。他原本预计委内瑞拉经济会在今年第四季度加速增长，但表示上个月的地震如今很可能会把这一进程推迟。

Alejandro Grisanti, the director of the consulting firm Ecoanalítica which focuses on Venezuela, pointed out that there were signs of a significant inflow of US dollars in the past two months. He had originally expected the Venezuelan economy to accelerate its growth in the fourth quarter of this year, but he now says that the earthquake last month is likely to delay this process.

6月24日发生的两场毁灭性地震，让这笔资金的命运更显紧迫。联合国估计，仅建筑物和基础设施损失就高达370亿美元。自地震发生以来，罗德里格斯一直在争取动用存放于海外的资金，包括国际货币基金组织（IMF）持有的款项，以及等待法院判决期间由英国央行托管的委内瑞拉黄金。

The two devastating earthquakes that occurred on June 24th have made the fate of this fund even more urgent. The United Nations estimates that the damage to buildings and infrastructure alone amounts to as much as 37 billion US dollars. Since the earthquakes, Rodriguez has been striving to use the funds stored overseas, including the funds held by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as the Venezuelan gold held by the Bank of England during the period awaiting court judgment.

美国已提供3.86亿美元救灾援助，并向委内瑞拉派遣数百名士兵参与救援。美国驻委内瑞拉代办约翰·巴雷特本月表示，石油收入账户中的资金也“被拨出用于这项特定的重建工作”，但没有说明具体金额。

The United States has provided $386 million in disaster relief aid and dispatched hundreds of soldiers to Venezuela to participate in the rescue efforts. US Consul General John Barrett in Venezuela said this month that funds from the oil revenue account have also "been allocated for this specific reconstruction work", but did not specify the exact amount.

奥巴马政府时期负责拉丁美洲事务的前白宫高级官员本杰明·格丹表示，如果民主党在11月赢得国会参众两院中至少一院的控制权，委内瑞拉石油资金很可能成为全面调查对象。他说：“这可能是一个极具吸引力的调查目标。你可以想象，届时会有大量关于委内瑞拉石油资金分配的传票和提供证词的要求。”

Benjamin Gedan, a former senior White House official responsible for Latin American affairs during the Obama administration, stated that if the Democratic Party were to gain control of at least one of the chambers of Congress in November, Venezuelan oil funds would likely become the subject of a comprehensive investigation. He said: "This could be a highly attractive investigation target. You can imagine that there would be a large number of subpoenas and requests for testimony regarding the allocation of Venezuelan oil funds at that time."

另据美国官员说，目前外界估算的石油收入数字，并不包括矿业出口收入，而其中部分矿业收入也正由美国政府收取。

According to US officials, the current estimated figure for oil revenues does not include the revenue from mineral exports. Moreover, some of this mineral income is currently being collected by the US government.