Miami lawmaker wants details of Florida dealings with Goldman Sachs, following Venezuela bond purcha
Miami lawmaker wants details of Florida dealings with Goldman Sachs, following Venezuela bond purchase
In an effort to squeeze Goldman Sachs for what critics say amounted to giving the Venezuelan government a financial lifeline, a Miami state legislator running for Congress has asked Florida to look into what business the state has with the financial giant.
Sen. José Javier Rodríguez, a Democratic candidate for retiring Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's seat, asked the State Board of Administration and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater on Friday to identify "any current and pending agreements or financial transactions" between Florida and Goldman.
"As you may be aware, this relates to troubling news that Goldman Sachs recently purchased $2.8 billion in bonds from Venezuela's state oil company," Rodríguez wrote Atwater and Ash Williams, the board of administration's executive director.
Goldman's deeply discounted bond purchase gave the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro a much-needed influx of cash. The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news of the buy, reported Friday that Goldman didn't give the purchase heightened scrutiny, given that it was a "no-brainer" business deal.
