Senator Marco RubioThe Florida Republican criticized the Biden administration’s treatment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, arguing it has strengthened his government’s image as a hardliner and advanced more authoritarian aims.
“In my view, it strengthened them internally and gave him the audacity to say, ‘I can get away with it now,'” Rubio argued. “I will be criticized. They will reimpose sanctions and people will say terrible things about me. But in a few months… another 2 million people will leave Venezuela. I will put some people in jail, I will crack down. And the people around me and the administration will remain loyal, because I have proven that I can win, that I can win negotiations.”
Rubio explained that he believes the underlying problem lies with the people around President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, including “people who are confident that we can negotiate a good outcome anywhere.”
“Some people have personalities and interests that make them difficult to get close to,” Rubio argued. “Unfortunately, in the short term, a diplomatic solution is not going to be possible… especially when you’re dealing with authoritarians who are looking for ways to stay in power.”
Blinken says Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lost election, claims victory with ‘no supporting evidence’
Anti-government protests have continued for days after a presidential election in late July in which the National Electoral Council, controlled by Maduro, won the incumbent president with 51% of the vote to 44% for the opposition.
Pre-election polls (illegal in the country) had opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez receiving twice as much support as President Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Venezuelans took to the streets in peaceful protests, but President Maduro sent police to crack down on them and take over the streets, leading to violent clashes and escalation.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke at the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Maduro on Wednesday called for an audit of the election from the country’s highest court in response to opposition claims he won and international allegations that it was not fair and free, but which many say is “endangered” by the PSUV’s sweeping control over all parts of the country’s judiciary.
Ultimately, the Biden administration declared Gonzalez the rightful winner of the election on Thursday, asserting that “given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States, and most importantly, to the Venezuelan people, that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received the most votes in the July 28 Venezuelan presidential election.”
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“The democratic opposition has released more than 80 percent of the vote tallies it received directly from polling stations across Venezuela,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press release. “The tallies show that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an overwhelming margin.”
The State Department stressed that there is “no evidence to support” Maduro’s victory and that the United States has “consulted extensively with partners and allies around the world” but that “no one has concluded that Nicolas Maduro received the most votes in this election.”
Opponents of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro protested in the Petare district of Caracas on Monday, the day after Venezuela’s presidential election. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States acted as a mediator Barbados Agreement Venezuela’s president and opposition parties struck a deal last October calling for free and fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief, but Maduro quickly withdrew from the deal just a month after it was signed, cancelling the primary elections over corruption allegations.
The State Department said in April General License 44The licenses allowed Venezuela to carry out transactions related to operations in the oil and gas sector, while acknowledging that President Maduro had fulfilled “some promises” from his electoral roadmap.
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A National Security Council spokesman told Fox News Digital that it was “inaccurate” to describe the Barbados agreement as a “quid pro quo.”
“We are making significant changes to the sanctions policies inherited from the previous administration because there is no doubt that those policies did not work and contributed to the flight of eight million Venezuelans from the country,” the spokesman said.
President Biden and Vice President Harris received update briefings from Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement officials in the White House Situation Room.
“In October, we adjusted our sanctions policy in accordance with the Barbados Agreement, indicating to President Maduro and his representatives that things could change if they kept their commitments. But they have now not done so, and we expect the US government to quickly impose sanctions. [United States Government] We will take immediate action,” the spokesperson insisted.
Jorge Juraissaty, a Venezuelan foreign policy expert and president of the Economic Inclusion Group, lamented that the Biden administration has had a “destabilizing” policy toward Venezuela and “isn’t doing enough at all,” even though U.S. support remains essential to achieving meaningful progress.
“They lack a strategy,” Julaisati said, “and rely on Maduro’s empty promises, which have allowed his regime to strengthen not only its finances but also its international position.”
“To bring freedom to Venezuela, we need a true strategist in the White House,” Julaisati added. “We need a foreign policy doctrine that leverages America’s intelligence and vast geo-economic resources. We need a president who understands the national security and economic importance of Venezuela.”
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“When it comes to the American people, we need their brightest minds to join us,” he said. “We need the strategic thinking of American business, the new technologies being built in Silicon Valley, and the intellect of our best experts.”
The State Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
