Rubio pressed over detained American after House Venezuela briefing

Published January 7, 2026 7:32pm ET



EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) personally lobbied Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to prioritize the release of James Luckey-Lange, a constituent believed to be detained in Venezuela. 

Malliotakis, who represents the Staten Island resident in Congress, approached Rubio after a briefing given to all House members on the capture of former dictator Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

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