Trump V.P. hopeful in a bind as ex-colleague charged with ties to communists heads to RNC

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is considered one of former President Donald Trump's top frontrunners to be chosen as his 2024 running mate. But he could face a serious distraction at next week's Republican National Convention, where Trump's selection will be revealed: the appearance of an old friend of his charged with ties to a communist regime.

According to the Miami Herald, a federal judge has allowed former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) to attend the convention in Milwaukee.

Rubio and Rivera were close friends in the past, at one point jointly owning a home in Tallahassee, serving in the Florida legislature together, and both being elected to federal office at the same time, Rubio the Senate and Rivera the House. Rivera, however, lost re-election after a single term — and he is now charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the far-left government of dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

Florida is home to a large community of Venezuelan-Americans descended from refugees of the Maduro regime and the Hugo Chávez regime before it. The nation is currently reeling under what international experts consider to be devastating economic mismanagement, that has led to widespread shortages and devastating hunger.

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Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who represented the Miami area, told the Herald regarding Rivera's presence, “It’s a distraction and it could create an awkward situation. That’s been the case for a long time” — but he doesn't think it would matter much in the grand scheme of things.

Besides Rubio, who presents legal challenges as a vice presidential nominee due to Constitutional restrictions on having two people from the same state on one ticket, Trump appears to have narrowed down his choice to two other potential running mates: Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND).

For the time being, observers have suggested that Vance could be the likeliest of the picks.