Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado tells Sen. Ben Cardin the fight against Nicolás Maduro will go on

WASHINGTON — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin on Wednesday that support from the U.S. is a “moral reference” for those protesting the government of President Nicolás Maduro, according to a summary of the call obtained first by NBC News.

“Every time you speak out, it reaches us and gives us strength to move ahead, and we know we are not alone,” Machado told Cardin, D-Md. A bipartisan group of senators, including Cardin, issued a joint statement supporting the opposition before the call Wednesday. 

Machado went into hiding in Venezuela after Maduro was declared the winner of the July 28 presidential election, despite mounting evidence the opposition gathered from polling locations that it says proves opposition candidate Edmundo González, a Machado ally, defeated him.

• Add to Google

Sen. Cardin speaks with Venezuelan opposition leader about Maduro protests

02:11

González, 75, has been recognized by the U.S. and many others in the international community as Venezuela’s president-elect even though the National Electoral Council, which is stacked with members of Maduro’s ruling party, has upheld his victory.

González, who ran in Machado’s place because her candidacy was banned, sought asylum in Spain on Sunday — one week after Venezuelan authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. 

He was charged with publishing the opposition’s tally of the ballots and insisting that he was the rightful victor over Maduro, among other alleged offenses. Maduro party officials have accused the opposition of promoting violence, among other claims. 

The call with Cardin was the first time Machado has spoken with a U.S. official since González’s exile.

“I want to reassure you that we will not surrender. This fight is until the end, regardless of what they do to us — we won’t stop,” Machado told Cardin from an undisclosed location.

In a statement, Cardin said he emphasized to Machado that “while Maduro may try to crush” her hope, “the world’s democracies will not stand idly by.”

“Above all, my main message to Ms. Machado was clear: The United States proudly stands with her, and we will continue to fight by her side for a free and democratic Venezuela,” Cardin added.

Thousands of people, including children, have protested in Venezuela since the election. 

Maduro’s government has responded to the largely peaceful demonstrations with “widespread human rights violations against protesters, bystanders, opposition leaders, and critics,” according to a report from Human Rights Watch. The global watchdog last week implicated Venezuelan security forces and pro-government gangs in some of the 24 protest-related killings it says have taken place.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobs

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobs

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

Despite that and the exile of González, Machado insisted that her opposition campaign is still strong and reiterated that Venezuelans are united.

Nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, the largest exodus in Latin America’s recent history, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.

“If all Venezuelans that are abroad or young people that were not allowed to register had voted, the result would have been 90 to 10” against Maduro, Machado said on the call. “Imagine what this means: This is a whole country together, fighting for freedom and for bringing our kids back home, senator.”