'Only Trump can free my son': Father of American kidnapped by Maduro in Venezuela speaks out

Scott St. Clair is the father of Joseph, an American Air Force veteran who is currently imprisoned in a dungeon in Caracas. Joseph, who served in Afghanistan, traveled to Colombia in mid-2022 to seek medical treatment for post-traumatic stress.

Scott, who had always stayed in contact with his son, stopped hearing from him late last year. He was puzzled when Joseph didn’t call during Thanksgiving. Then, in February, a call from the U.S. Embassy in Colombia delivered terrifying news: Joseph was one of the Americans kidnapped by Nicolás Maduro's regime. The information came from six Americans recently released by the Venezuelan government in a deal brokered by Trump envoy Richard Grenell.

Today, Scott’s son remains in captivity. And though he fears for his son’s life, Scott is confident that Trump will help secure his release. In the end, he says, "only Trump can free my son."

I asked Scott about his son's condition, his expectations of the administration, and the recent controversy involving Democratic Congresswoman Patty Murray, who allegedly ignored his letters—even as she publicly advocated for Kilmar Abrego, an undocumented migrant deported to El Salvador.

- Senator Patty Murray has not responded to your emails, although she claims she has not received them. What do you think about that?

I understand that Senators have an administrative process and are very busy. I am not interested in trying to point out any failure on Senator Murray’s part. We are glad that she is now interested in our case and will be meeting with us this week. We would, however, ask her to be vocal about this crisis and join the bipartisan effort to free the American hostages held by Maduro.

- Have other Democrats ignored you as well?

Since our recent media engagements, all of the Congressional representatives from our state are now actively communicating with us. We hope for the best and that they will advocate for us as constituents.

- Have any Democrats come forward to support your son's case?

Not at this point in time, but we are hopeful that our engagements this week will drive support on both sides of the aisle.

- Have you spoken to any Republican members of Congress about your son's case?

We have not yet been able to speak directly to any Republicans, but we met with Senator Blackburn’s staff and will be meeting with staffers from the Foreign Relations committee which will be comprised of both Republicans and Democrats. Our hope is that both sides of the political spectrum will see the need to get this crisis in the news and will ask the administration for updates on a timely resolution.

-Do you have any new information about your son - proof of life?

We have no new information since the captives were returned with Ric Grenell on January 31st. We have no proof of life or contact. We trust SPEHA and the Trump administration, but so far, we have not been updated on any specific plan. 

The families want to know that there is a plan and want to hear Congress and the administration talk about this issue openly in the news. There are so many issues surrounding Latin America, Venezuela and other countries that are constantly talked about. Whether it is deportees, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Bukele’s actions, etc… and it seems that Hostages in Venezuela is never spoken about.

It is almost like the news cycle is satisfied that six hostages were returned on January 31st, so no more attention needs to be given to the country and dictator that now holds the most Americans hostage: Maduro!

- Do you think your son is going to be used by Maduro as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Trump?

This is the common pattern of Maduro. It is unclear however what Maduro wants and no one is sharing that with the families. Is there another Alex Saab that Maduro wants? It seems like Maduro wants to be legitimized and I understand that he should not be….by anyone. That said, cut through politics and get our families home alive!

- What would you like Trump to do with the Maduro regime? How do you think Trump could help free your son?

I am not sure what to say about that. Maduro is clearly a bad actor and will not abide by international standards. He is clearly propped up by countries like Iran, China, and likely Russia because of oil.

Regarding Trump helping my son… He is clearly the leader that can get the job done and I believe he has the power to make it happen.

- What do you think of Maria Corina Machado, do you think she can be a hope?

I understand that she has endured great danger for her efforts to free Venezuela from Maduro. A free Venezuela means many captives could be set free. I am not sure what that would mean for the current American hostages. I have read about the new Tren de Aragua recruits that Maduro is enlisting to serve as cadre and this concerns me for my son and for the Venezuelan people.