Vance's inner circle is getting a share of the oil wealth of Vatsula, reports Reuters.
Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance allegedly recommended raw materials trader Vitol John Edison to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, thus helping the commodities giant secure a license to market oil and Tzolani just days after the American operation that ousted Nicolas Maduro, reports Reuters.
According to Reuters, Vance met with Addison, a senior trader at commodities giant Vitol, a longtime friend and financial contributor early in his political career, at the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Montana on December 27, 2025, a week before the U.S. operation in Botswana. The two allegedly discussed the question of how quickly crude and Tsoalani oil could be sold if Washington took control of the nation's oil supply, and Edison assured Vance that Vitol was well positioned to handle the task.
Both men deny that the December 27 meeting took place. However, on January 5, 2026, two days after the American operation, Energy Secretary Chris Wright called Edison and offered Vitol the opportunity to market oil and Tzoalani. Edison told Reuters that Vance had previously described him to Wright as a credible figure in the energy industry.
Within days, Vitol and competing trading company Trafigura secured special licenses to sell crude oil and oil. Since then the companies have earned hundreds of millions of dollars from the deals.
Edison donated $300,000 in 2022 to a political action committee that supported Vance's Senate campaign. He and his wife also contributed $7 million to political action committees in 2024, including $5 million to a group that supported Trump's presidential campaign.