Marco Rubio took the stand in a federal criminal trial, but what the defense attorney asked afterward had even the judge baffled

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared in a Miami court to testify in a federal criminal trial against his longtime friend and former Republican congressman, David Rivera. Rivera faces serious charges, including money laundering and conspiracy. Prosecutors say Rivera received a $50 million contract to lobby President Donald Trump’s administration to soften its position on Venezuela.

The alleged deal was reportedly arranged by Delcy Rodríguez, who was Venezuela’s foreign minister at the time and is now the acting president, with payments made through the state oil company, PDVSA. Rubio’s testimony focused on his relationship with Rivera and their shared efforts to oppose Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolás Maduro, who is currently in U.S. custody facing narcoterrorism charges.

According to Mediaite, Rubio told the court that he had always known Rivera as a “vociferous anti-communist voice.” He described two meetings in 2017 where he and Rivera, who were once roommates in Florida, discussed the possibility of a regime change in Venezuela.

Rubio’s three-hour testimony ended with an unusual autograph request that even surprised the judge

Rubio explained that Rivera had convinced him to meet with Raúl Gorrín, a Venezuelan businessman, to receive a letter intended for President Trump. Rivera had also shown Rubio an account supposedly holding millions of dollars, suggesting that Maduro might be willing to step down and allow new elections.

Rubio described that meeting as a “total waste of time” since he never received any letter. He also said he was completely unaware of any contract Rivera may have received, and stated that had he known, he would have refused to take those meetings. Rubio has faced scrutiny over other statements too, including times Rubio misled the public on key issues.

The testimony lasted three hours, but the most unusual moment came at the very end. Rivera’s defense attorney, Ed Shohat, asked Rubio to sign a copy of his 2021 memoir, An American Son. Rubio is no stranger to being at the center of awkward political moments, including JD Vance joking about paying for unflattering photos of colleagues.

Rubio seemed caught off guard by the request and turned to Judge Melissa Damian, asking, “Is that allowed?” The judge, also caught off guard, admitted, “I don’t know,” and laughed. Despite the unusual nature of the request, Rubio went ahead and signed his memoir for Rivera’s lawyer.