Just when Edmundo González Urrutia was visiting the Capitol to receive bipartisan support from the United States for the democratization of Venezuela, the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro proceeded to kidnap his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, who was dropping his children off at school.
Visibly affected, González Urrutia left a meeting with senators and prominent representatives of the Republican Party, who reiterated their firm support for the Venezuelan democratic cause.
Legislators like the congressman Carlos Gimenez They stressed the need to increase pressure on Maduro, including additional sanctions. Giménez warned, after meeting the Venezuelan: «Those who try to repress or attack Venezuelans have to know that there will be very severe consequences; “They will not be able to continue doing it with impunity.”
This morning my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped.
Rafael was heading to the school of my 7 and 6-year-old grandchildren, in Caracas, to drop them off for the start of classes, and hooded men, dressed in black, intercepted him, put him in a gold-colored truck, license plate AA54E2C and…— Edmundo González (@EdmundoGU) January 7, 2025
After the meeting, González Urrutia’s team revealed details of Tudares’ kidnapping. «Hooded men dressed in black intercepted him, put him in a gold truck, license plate AA54E2C, and took him away. “He is missing,” the opposition leader himself reported. This act intensified concern for the safety of relatives of figures opposed to the regime.
Despite the situation, González Urrutia was able to meet with the recently re-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, a key ally of Donald Trump, who will resume the presidency on January 20. After this meeting, González Urrutia suspended his schedule in Washington to attend to the kidnapping.
He is expected to fly to Panama in the coming days, after having previously visited Argentina and Uruguay. His original plan was to return to Venezuela on January 10, coinciding with the start of the new presidential term, although the dictatorship plans to remain in power relying on the army.
During the meetings in Washington, the kidnapping of Tudares was discussed, and American attendees issued clear warnings to the Maduro regime against these abuses.
At the moment, González Urrutia has not announced plans to meet with Donald Trump, who will be at the Capitol on Wednesday for internal meetings with his party. Senator Rick Scott, close to Trump, stated that the former president is focused on preparing for his next inauguration and has not prioritized other meetings.
González Urrutia’s visit to the United States has highlighted the bipartisan commitment to the Venezuelan cause, since President Joe Biden, in a meeting at the White House, also gave his support to whom he has officially described as the elected president of Venezuela.
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