Kennedy, Rubio: “Dictator Nicolás Maduro has once again stolen a presidential election”

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) along with Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) and Reps. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), Jenniffer González-Colón (R-P.R.), María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in releasing a joint statement regarding authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro's illegitimate claim of victory in Venezuela's presidential election.

The senators' statement is below:

"To no one's surprise, dictator Nicolás Maduro has once again stolen a presidential election. However, what the narco-regime will never steal is the Venezuelan people's desire to return to democracy and live in freedom after decades of tyranny. We must prioritize uniting the free world in rejecting these sham election results and securing the release of the more than 300 Venezuelans that remain arbitrarily detained in torture centers as political prisoners.

"The Maduro dictatorship is experiencing an internal fracture, and members of the dictatorship know their status quo, which is filled with incompetence, is no longer sustainable. There is massive discontent in the streets of Venezuela, and everyday citizens have stood in support of opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez. Let there be no doubt: the countries and international organizations backing this fraud of unimaginable proportions must be held accountable, as should members of the narco-regime and its 'National Electoral Council.'"

According to reporting, "independent exit polling and partial results" suggest "González captured twice as many votes as Maduro." Despite these reports and international concern, Maduro declared victory on Monday.

Background:

• In February, in retaliation to U.S. sanctions, the Maduro regime halted the deportation of Venezuelans who came into America illegally.

• Kennedy introduced the No Dollars for Dictators Act to prevent taxpayer money from flowing to perpetrators of genocide and state sponsors of terrorism, including Nicolás Maduro.

• Kennedy has repeatedly called on the Biden-Harris administration to unleash American energy production so that the U.S. does not need to rely on foreign adversaries, including Venezuela, for oil.