Sen. Marco Rubio’s office has contacted the Brazilian Embassy in Washington over the investigation into claims Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers were robbed in Rio de Janeiro.
Rubio’s Senate office would not confirm Thursday whether the former Republican presidential candidate from Florida personally contacted Brazilian diplomats or whether it was an aide who reached out on his behalf.
Rubio staff would also not say whether Lochte — a University of Florida swimming alumnus and Florida resident — asked the office for help.
Brazilian authorities earlier Thursday said that the swimmers’ accounts of a reported robbery on Sunday morning at a Rio gas station conflicted with each other. Instead, Civil Police chief Fernando Veloso said one of the Olympians had confirmed video evidence of vandalism.
A press release posted on Rubio’s congressional website states that the office routinely helps constituents who find themselves in trouble overseas. One case involved a young woman who was stranded in an international airport with an expired passport.
The White House has referred the US swimmers’ matter to the State Department, a spokesperson said.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein told CNN that she hoped that the athletes would apologize and make amends for their actions.
“When anybody goes out into another country to represent our country — and Olympians are part of that representation — they shouldn’t be out on the streets at 4 a.m., drinking and carousing, and I think that’s kind of commonsense,” Feinstein told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.”
“You represent your country,” she continued. “We are a powerful country. People look for things to bat us down and I think it’s up for those of us that are in the public eye, that represent our government, our people, our Constitution and most importantly, our flag, do so with the highest respect for the country they’re in.”