Rubio Says Venezuela Let Opposition Leader Return

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that interim Venezuelan authorities informed the United States weeks before opposition leader Maria Corina Machado could return to the country without hindrance. The disclosure came as the Trump administration pushes a political transition that relies on cooperation from officials who served under former President Nicolas Maduro.

Rubigo recounted his conversations with interim officials. "We spoke with the interim authorities and told them: 'Look, our expectation is that she is Venezuelan. She belongs to her country. That is where she comes from. She should be allowed to return, and allowed to return without problems,'" Rubio told reporters. "And they told us she could fly to the airport if she wanted. And we passed that to her team."

The remarks followed the announcement of Machado receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. About a month after her departure, U.S. military forces captured Maduro and left Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in charge. The Trump administration has worked with Rodriguez on oil extraction and other matters, though the United States has said it expects Venezuela to eventually transition to a democratically elected government.

Rubio said the interim government is meeting agreed deadlines to replace Venezuela's Supreme Court and electoral council, institutions long used under Maduro to control political competition. No election date has been announced. "We have agreed deadlines. And so far, they have met every single one of them," Rubio said, dismissing the possibility that Venezuelan authorities could indefinitely delay elections.

He added that election infrastructure must be rebuilt quickly. "The election infrastructure has to be changed, not in 10 years, not in five, not in two," Rubio said. "It has to be done quickly, within the deadlines we have set."

Machado left Venezuela and later traveled to Norway for the Nobel ceremony. Rubio said the interim government communicated to Washington that Machado could return to the country without interference, and that message was passed to her team.