HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — State Secretary Marco Rubio on Tuesday appeared to misstate a deal that former President Joe Biden made with Venezuela.
He said during an interview with Fox News that Biden agreed to release some of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s associates from custody in exchange for free elections in the South American country. Biden did release two nephews of Maduro’s wife and one of Maduro’s business associates, but they were in separate deals, and neither of them were for fair elections.
“The Biden administration made a deal with Maduro – no one talks about this. He made a deal with Maduro. Here was the deal: Maduro asked that his nephews, convicted drug traffickers, be released from U.S. prisons,” Rubio said.
“He asked that his chief money launderer, his money man, his bagman, be released from U.S. custody before he stood trial. In exchange, he promised to hold free and fair elections.”
Biden released Maduro’s relatives, Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, in 2022 for seven American prisoners. Flores de Freitas and Campo Flores were both convicted of drug trafficking, while the Americans were in jail for various reasons.
A year later, the Venezuelan government agreed with an opposition group to reach a deal on election conditions. The government had banned some of its critics from seeking office.
Two months after the agreement, the U.S. released Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who illegally handled money for Maduro. In exchange, Venezuela handed over 10 Americans and a Malaysian businessman, “Fat Leonard,” who bribed U.S. Navy officials.
Biden said in a statement that his administration was prioritizing freeing Americans who were wrongfully detained, as well as returning fugitives to the U.S., although some Republicans criticized his approach.
The president noted he was also making sure that the Venezuelan government was keeping its commitments for elections, like the 2024 presidential race that Maduro likely lost.
“They have announced an electoral roadmap – agreed to by opposition parties – for competitive Presidential elections in 2024. This a positive and important step forward,” Biden said.
“We will continue to monitor this closely and take appropriate action if needed,” he added. “We stand in support of democracy in Venezuela and the aspirations of the Venezuelan people.”
Rubio, who had criticized Biden’s 2023 deal, said Tuesday he wasn’t sure how the U.S. could reach any agreement with Maduro since he’s broken every previous one.
“The problem is Maduro has made five deals with different parties over the last 10 years and has broken every single one of them,” Rubio explained.
The National News Desk has been unable to request comment from Maduro.
Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.