The Republican senator from Florida Rick Scott referred to Delcy Rodríguez as "the head of a cartel" and "despicable," denying her any legitimacy as president of Venezuela in a video posted on his X account that garnered more than 267,000 views.
“She is not the president. She is the head of a cartel. She is despicable,” Scott stated in the recording, where he also demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners in Venezuela, an end to the oppression, and the holding of free and fair elections.
The senator directly linked Rodríguez to the torture chambers of Nicolás Maduro's regime and to the treatment inflicted on political prisoners during the Chavismo era. "I believe that Delcy Rodríguez is a terrible person. She was part of Maduro's regime, part of the torture chambers, part of what was done to political prisoners," he stated.
Scott's statements come just days after Rodríguez announced the end of the Law of Amnesty for Democratic Coexistence, barely two months after its enactment and with hundreds of political prisoners still incarcerated.
The Foro Penal only verified 768 releases since January 8, 2026, compared to the 8,616 claimed by the Venezuelan government. At the time of Rodríguez's announcement, the organization counted more than 454 political prisoners who continue to be held in Venezuela.
This Sunday, political prisoners reported to international media about systematic torture at El Helicoide, the headquarters of SEBIN, which included beatings, electric shocks, and suffocation with pesticide bags. Former deputy Rosmit Mantilla stated that "torture is state policy in Venezuela." On the same day, María Corina Machado called for demonstrations in over 120 cities around the world under the slogan "We are missing 500" to demand the release of political prisoners. "There are still more than five hundred political prisoners, both civilians and military, behind bars at this hour," noted the opposition leader.
Scott's words represent a public break with the stance of the Trump administration, which removed Rodríguez from the OFAC sanctions list on April 1 and formally recognized her as the head of state of Venezuela in March. Trump himself praised her on Truth Social, stating that "she is doing a good job".
When asked if Rodríguez should step down, Scott was clear: "It must be a decision of the Venezuelan people. We need free and fair elections, and they should choose. I believe they will choose someone who genuinely cares for them, not someone who imprisoned them for their political opinions."
This is not the first time the senator confronts Rodríguez in this tone. On January 6, 2026, Scott warned her that she would "share the same fate as Maduro" if she challenged the United States, just days after the capture of the Venezuelan dictator by U.S. special forces.
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