United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has disclosed that the ousted Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, was given “multiple very, very, very generous offers” to leave power but refused, choosing instead to “play around.”
Rubio made the statement on Saturday while speaking to the press following a US military operation that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife.
“He had multiple opportunities to find his way somewhere else,” Rubio said. “Instead, he wanted to act like a wild man. He wanted to play big boy.”
US President, Donald Trump, also confirmed that Maduro made last-minute attempts to negotiate before the operation.
“He wanted to negotiate at the end and was trying hard to make a deal,” Trump told Fox News on Saturday. “I didn’t want to negotiate. I said, ‘Nope, we got to do it.’”
Reiterating Washington’s position, Rubio described Maduro as “a fugitive of American justice” and an illegitimate leader, noting that a $50 million bounty had been placed on him.
“I guess we saved $50 million,” Rubio said jokingly, turning to Trump.
“We should make sure,” Trump responded. “Don’t let anybody claim it. Nobody deserves it but us,” the president added.