· 24 comments · Save ·
General Mar 27, 2026 at 2:10 AM

Nicolás Maduro’s lawyer argues against U.S. blocking funding for drug trafficking case defense | PBS News

Posted by Little-Storage3955

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/nicolas-maduros-lawyer-argues-against-u-s-blocking-funding-for-drug-trafficking-case-defense
🚩 Report this post

24 Comments

Sign in to comment — or just click the box below.
🔒 Your email is never shown publicly.
whowhodillybar Mar 27, 2026 +68
> "This is a unique case that has not come before the judiciary before," he said, casting it as an issue of the U.S. government's ability to use sanctions to advance national security and foreign policy interests. Well it’s unique in that the US just abducted another sovereign Nation’s leader.
68
TripleJeopardy3 Mar 27, 2026 +7
Oddly, it isn't that unique for the U.S. to kidnap and try foreign heads of state on drug charges. We kidnapped and tried Noriega from Panama in 1990. We also extradited and tried Hernandez from Honduras in 2022. We tried and convicted both, although Trump pardoned Hernandez in 2025 because ... um .... reasons, I guess.
7
pnutbrutal Mar 27, 2026 +4
Didn’t the supreme court in the US say presidents are above the law? Googled it. “Yes, in a landmark 6-3 decision on July 1, 2024 (Trump v. United States), the Supreme Court ruled that US presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution” How are we going to prosecute someone else’s president and not our own? Make it make sense!
4
Snapingbolts Mar 27, 2026 +2
I felt like I was taking crazy pills seeing the headlines about this today. Not a single article pointing out just how insane this is
2
DocRedbeard Mar 27, 2026 -35
Hah, no we didn't. He was in control of the country, but not the elected leader, and everyone knows it. We actually know the election results because they made the mistake of having an actual election and then trying to change numbers on the back end. He didn't win the election, and then forced certification of himself as the w*****. We kidnapped a private citizen who had treasonously usurped power.
-35
RG_Kid Mar 27, 2026 +19
Be that as it may, Maduro is the de facto leader of the nation since Trump administration proceeded to negotiate with his successor instead of recognizing the civilian leader and the w***** of the last election, Maria Machado.
19
kuroxn Mar 27, 2026 +1
Machado wasn't the w***** (it was a guy she supported), but your point is still right 
1
kuroxn Mar 27, 2026 +5
Idk why I got downvoted lol, she wasn't the candidate of the opposition but the leader of the opposition 
5
RG_Kid Mar 27, 2026
Yeah, it's a matter of technicalities that's why I simplify it and just follow the other guy lead.
0
DocRedbeard Mar 27, 2026 -13
Doesn't really matter who he's negotiating with, Maduro was still only the defacto leader, not the rightly elected one. If you found out that Trump actually manufactured enough fake votes to win the US election you would consider him illegitimate and I suspect would be quite fine with him being taken off to another country for trial.
-13
skiabay Mar 27, 2026 +5
I wouldn't want an authoritarian leader from another country who has regularly expressed interest in stealing our resources to arrest trump even if he did steal an election.
5
defroach84 Mar 27, 2026 -49
I mean, it was his nation. It wasn't the nation of the people who were living there. The generally consensus is we could take him, not many people are complaining about it.
-49
Pale_Sell1122 Mar 27, 2026 +14
So by your logic, China and Russia should be able to do that with many US political and corporate leaders
14
defroach84 Mar 27, 2026 -7
The guy was voted out and didn't leave. I'm not saying it was right or wrong, but the citizens aren't upset he isn't there anymore.
-7
Pale_Sell1122 Mar 27, 2026 +1
No, he wasn't. That's complete propaganda. And why is that people like are so selective about your outrage over democracy? The Gulf states are all naked dictatorships (Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait). Pakistan also had it's democratically elected leader couped and not a peep came from concernocrats
1
defroach84 Mar 27, 2026 -2
Wait. You are saying he won the elections 18 months ago? 😂
-2
whowhodillybar Mar 27, 2026 +11
You are correct as well. I can’t disagree much honestly. Just why stop here? Just skip some steps to attack Iran and assassinate leadership. Putin is the same as you describe. Should the US kidnap him as well? Not arguing at all. My biggest point is regarding how unique any of this would be. Yet 2 examples have actually happened. It’s just bonkers to me that this is actually happening.
11
whatproblems Mar 27, 2026 +6
yeah it’s more about the precedent this sets. could any country just take any other countries leader if they could? could china just keep trump when he’s in the country? could germany just snatch up orban and be like he’s bad. might makes right
6
Spetznazx Mar 27, 2026
Honestly if the US had the ability to go in and kidnap Putin I don't think many people would be upset.
0
ucd_pete Mar 27, 2026 +1
The US probably has the ability to get to Putin but the issue then is that Russia might have the ability to get to Trump.
1
defroach84 Mar 27, 2026 -6
I'm not justifying it either, just stating that the US took someone out who wasn't wanted and was essentially an unelectated dictator, I'm not going to lose any sleep over. I'd love it if Putin was taken out, but we both know why that can't and won't happen.
-6
909non Mar 27, 2026 +5
I almost totally forgot about this guy
5
kstargate-425 Mar 27, 2026 +10
It tells everyone exactly what this is all about and its all for show for one autocrat trying a case against another autocrat as in healthy democracies, you dont withhold a proper defense for a defendant. This is some kangaroo court shit that happens in tin-pot dictatorships, not the "land of the free"
10
MentokGL Mar 27, 2026 +7
Most democratic leaders would want the best defense possible, so that the case is decided on the merits. And then there's this f****** guy
7
← Back to Board