Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla. and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., have introduced a bill this week to set a $100 million reward for the arrest and conviction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
"The time has come for Venezuela to be liberated from the illegitimate regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro," Scott wrote in a statement Thursday, announcing the Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials (STOP MADURO) Act.
"For years, I have urged the Biden-Harris administration to put the full weight of the federal government to put an end to the Maduro regime, but it has refused and continued its failed appeasement that has only enriched and emboldened Maduro and his puppet masters in Cuba at the expense of the Venezuelan people."
Former President Donald Trump's Justice Department offered a reward of up to $15 million in 2020 for Maduro's arrest and conviction on drug-trafficking charges, but the new bill expands the effort after Maduro squelched dissent after a contested reelection.
Notably, the cost burden will not be on U.S. taxpayers, but culled from asset seizures from Venezuela.
"My STOP MADURO Act will increase the maximum reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maduro to $100 million, using seized assets instead of U.S. taxpayer money to bring an end to the tyranny caused by this narcoterrorist," Scott added in his statement. "The Venezuelan people overwhelmingly voted for a new day of freedom and democracy on July 28 when they elected Edmundo González in an effort led by opposition leader María Corina Machado.
"It's clear Maduro will not step down on his own, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill to rid Venezuela and the world of Maduro's oppression and make way for President-elect González to bring democracy, freedom and opportunity back to Venezuela."
Asset seizures from Venezuela total around $450 million to date fnhgrom dozens of criminal charges of high-level officials, according to Scott's release.
"The U.S. must do more to arrest narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote in a statement. "I've called for Interpol to issue a red alert notice to facilitate this, and this legislation builds on that call by increasing the reward for his arrest to $100 million. Maduro is one of the Venezuelan regime's most corrupt schemers, and it's past time he is held accountable for his crimes."
A bipartisan companion bill in the House is backed by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.; Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.; Carlos Giménez, R-Fla.; Jenniffer González-Colón, R-Puerto Rico; María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla.; Mike Waltz, R-Fla.; Chris Smith, R-N.J.; and Darren Soto, D-Fla.
"For nearly two months since the July 28 'elections,' in which the Venezuelan people overwhelmingly voted for President-elect Edmundo González, the Maduro regime has only escalated its brutal repression," Díaz-Balart wrote in a statement. "According to reports, arbitrary detentions, torture, and politically motivated persecution – have intensified under Maduro's oppressive rule.
"Maduro's regime is a criminal enterprise that fuels narco-terrorism, suppresses independent media, and violates human rights with impunity. Last year, I warned that the Biden-Harris administration's appeasement of this dictatorship would only embolden Maduro. Lifting sanctions has endangered our national security, aiding a regime closely allied with dangerous adversaries like Russia, Iran, Cuba, and the PRC [People's Republic of China].
"Instead of easing sanctions, the Biden-Harris administration should stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people in their fight for freedom by increasing this bounty and strengthening sanctions."
The day before the bill was introduced Thursday, Gonzalez said in a video message released Wednesday he was forced to sign a letter to concede the election under "coercion, blackmail, and pressure."
"They showed up with a document that I would have to sign to allow my departure from the country," González said. "In other words, either I signed or I would face consequences. There were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail and pressure."
Gonzalez is now in Spain, fleeing Venezuela amid a contested election amid the arrest warrant accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes after the election. Maduro's next term is set to begin Jan. 10.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used to compile this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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