(Bloomberg) -- U.S. Senator Bob Corker met with Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela on Friday, prompting sharp criticism from GOP colleague Marco Rubio

Maduro was shown shaking hands with Corker in images broadcast on state TV from the presidential palace, which said the two were "strengthening international relationships" without offering more details. Corker then walked out alongside Carabobo State Governor Rafael Lacava, who is said to have visited Washington to discuss the release of U.S. citizen Joshua Holt, a Utah man imprisoned in Venezuela since 2016.

“Any U.S. Senator can meet with whoever they want. But no matter how many senators dictator Nicolas Maduro gets to meet with him, U.S. sanctions will go away when Maduro leaves and democracy returns,” Rubio tweeted. The Florida Republican is a longtime critic of Corker, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to which Rubio also belongs. Corker’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.

After being sworn in for six-year term Thursday, Maduro called for the release of some detained protesters, without naming anyone specifically. Holt, who’s being held in the El Helicoide intelligence agency prison on weapons charges his family says are false, published a Facebook video earlier month pleading for help and claiming his life was in danger.

--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patricia Laya in Caracas at playa2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Cancel at dcancel@bloomberg.net, Robert Jameson

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