Top Senate Democrat asks DOJ to investigate former representative’s Venezuela ties

Sen. Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.) Tuesday asked Department of Justice officials to investigate whether former Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) should have registered as an agent of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s regime.Rivera, who left the House in 2013, was sued last week by the U.S. subsidiary of PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, over a $15 million payment made as part of a $50 million contract.The lawsuit alleged that Rivera failed…