Jesús Daniel Romero and William Acosta from Diario Las Américas for Poder & Dinero and FinGurú
In April 2025, Uruguayan-Mexican journalist Carlos Fazio published an article in teleSUR titled “Marco Rubio's Dirty Laundry”, in which he accuses the current Secretary of State of the US of corruption, links to organized crime, and involvement in maneuvers to obstruct investigations into Venezuelan assets.
The accusations, presented without documentary evidence, occur against a backdrop of growing tension between Washington and the leftist governments of Latin America (Fazio, 2025a). This article exposes Fazio's political history, analyzes the content of his publication, and evaluates the role of teleSUR as a media apparatus defending state interests.
Brief history of Carlos Fazio and his activism
Carlos Fazio was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1948. He was a member of the National Liberation Movement-Tupamaros (MLN-T), the most important urban guerrilla group in Uruguay during the 1960s and 70s. In the MLN-T, Fazio worked in underground press and revolutionary propaganda. After being pursued by the military dictatorship, he went into exile in Mexico, where he became a naturalized citizen and developed a career as a journalist, writer, and academic. His background ideologically links him with Marxist-Leninist movements and 21st-century Bolivarian regimes (El Viejo Topo, n.d.).
Analysis of the article published in teleSUR
The text published by Fazio focuses on the first 100 days of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. He accuses Rubio of promoting a hostile agenda towards the governments of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua through sanctions, blacklists, and support for the opposition (Fazio, 2025a). However, Fazio makes personal accusations without verifiable documentation.
Among the most serious claims are:
Alleged misappropriation of CITGO assets.
Links to international money laundering.
Use of his political influence to cover up individuals investigated by the Department of Justice.
These accusations are based on anonymous sources and do not provide concrete evidence. While there are legal proceedings against former congressman David Rivera, an ally of Rubio, for alleged illegal lobbying on behalf of the Venezuelan regime (Department of Justice of the US, 2022), there is no public evidence that directly implicates Rubio. In fact, Rubio confirmed a meeting with Rivera but denied any connection to the illicit activities in question (Fineout, 2022).
The role of teleSUR: Informational warfare tool
teleSUR, a media outlet funded by the regimes of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, has been described by analysts as a state propaganda platform with an anti-American orientation. The publication of the article reinforces the idea that it is a coordinated media attack aimed at undermining Rubio's credibility just when his foreign policy directly affects the interests of Havana and Caracas.
The content of the article aligns with the strategic interests of these regimes:
Rejection of the reactivation of Cuba's Restricted List (Rubio, 2025).
Opposition to oil sanctions against Venezuela (Paul Hastings LLP, 2025; Reuters, 2025).
Rejection of US support for Guyana in its territorial dispute with Venezuela.
Geopolitical framework: Why now
The attack occurs while Rubio promotes a new hemispheric doctrine that combines:
Financial sanctions against authoritarian regimes.
Containment of transnational organized crime.
Counteracting Chinese influence in Latin America, especially in Panama and the Caribbean (Rubio, 2025).
The pressure from the US has resulted in economic and diplomatic losses for actors like Cuba and Venezuela, which may explain the timing of the publication. Although there is no direct evidence of coordination between Fazio and intelligence services, the ideological profile of the author, teleSUR's editorial line, and the narrative of the article allow for inferring a common goal: discrediting the political actor leading the regional offensive against the Bolivarian regimes.
Conclusion
Carlos Fazio's article represents a political propaganda effort disguised as journalistic investigation. It strays from objective analysis to fall into baseless personal attacks, framed within a critical moment for US foreign policy. The media backing of teleSUR reinforces the thesis that this is a communicational maneuver to protect the interests of leftist governments in Latin America against the increasing pressure exerted by the Trump administration and its Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
References
Department of Justice of the US. (2022, December 5). Former member of Congress charged with acting as an unregistered agent of Venezuelan national. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/former-member-congress-charged-acting-unregistered-agent-venezuelan-national
El Viejo Topo. (n.d.). Carlos Fazio | Authors. https://www.elviejotopo.com/autor/carlos-fazio/
Fazio, C. (2025a, April 26). Marco Rubio's Dirty Laundry. teleSUR. https://www.telesurtv.net/opinion/fazio-trapos-sucios-marco-rubio/
Fineout, G. (2022, December 6). Rubio confirms he met with indicted ex-Florida lawmaker over Venezuela. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/06/marco-rubio-david-rivera-venezuela-meeting-00072652
Paul Hastings LLP. (2025, February 3). Venezuela sanctions: Wind-down of General License 41 and introduction of secondary tariffs. https://www.paulhastings.com/insights/client-alerts/venezuela-sanctions-wind-down-of-general-license-41-and-introduction-of-secondary-tariffs
Reuters. (2025, April 23). Venezuela launches Blend 22 crude exports ahead of U.S. licenses expiry. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/venezuela-launches-blend-22-crude-exports-ahead-us-licenses-expiry-2025-04-23/
Rubio, M. (2025, January 31). Restoring a Tough U.S.-Cuba Policy. Department of State of the U.S. https://www.state.gov/restoring-a-tough-u-s-cuba-policy/
Published in the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute.
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