Nicolás Maduro’s Trial in New York: Protesters Clash Outside Courthouse

REPORTER:  

It’s protester versus counter-protester outside the New York court where Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and other charges. Two crowds shout each other down—a reflection of the polarized way the world’s reacting to the US capture of Maduro last weekend.

REPORTER:  

One side includes Venezuelan exiles. During Maduro’s nearly 13 years in power, hardship and oppression drove a fifth of Venezuelans out of their country. To this side, those calling for Maduro’s release are naive or maybe even paid to be there.

Go to Venezuela! Go to Venezuela so you can see how your mother has to stand in line three or four days for a bag of bread flour. That's not a lie. That's the truth.

REPORTER:  

But on the other side are those who see US intervention as aggression with questionable motives. Venezuela has the world’s largest known oil reserves—and US President Donald Trump has mentioned them often in the past few days.

But to put a government in power that is going to facilitate the extraction of oil and resources from Venezuela to the US. That's Trump's real agenda.

REPORTER:  

Sketches from inside the courthouse show Maduro listening to an interpreter through headphones. Reports say he responded to the charges — “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country” — before being cut off by the judge. His next court date is March 17. One former federal prosecutor watching the case already has a prediction of how it will proceed.

Rahmani (FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR):  

I don't think there's a deal to be had in this case, especially with respect to Maduro, given how defiant he was in court today and the fact that any plea would effectively be a life sentence in federal prison here in the United States. I expect this case to go to trial.

REPORTER:  

Rahmani says that while heads of state can’t usually face prosecution, the US says Maduro cheated in elections and isn’t a legitimate head of state. Rahmani also says the US Supreme Court decided over a century ago that even kidnapped people can face trial in the US if there’s a valid indictment and evidence. In his view, not even the US Congress and the United Nations can stop the trial.

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Venezuela has protested at the UN.

REPORTER:  

But it’s also set up an interim government with Maduro’s VP Delcy Rodriguez as acting president. Trump has warned her to cooperate—and says the US is now in charge of the country.

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Residents in the capital Caracas reflect on what they hope will come next.

Well, I think that at least if the US is asking for a transition, let it all be peaceful and a dignified democracy, because what we’ve experienced is harsh in this country.  

No foreign country can interfere in a country that’s supposedly democratic. There have to be elections, I mean, we should hold elections and they must be respected. That's what we want.

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But Trump has said elections may have to wait—for now, the US will run Venezuela, he says and, quote, “fix up the oil, fix up the country”—with details to be determined later. Venezuela’s future is, for now, uncertain.  

REPORTER:  

But there are concerns—including among Trump’s domestic opponents—that toppling Maduro isn’t the end of Trump’s plans. Trump himself says he wants Greenland for the US and has suggested interventions in Iran and Colombia.

The American people did not sign up for another round of endless wars. They want Donald Trump to focus on the problems here at home, on healthcare, on housing, on energy, on groceries.

REPORTER:  

But, at least until midterms at the end of the year, Trump and his Republican allies control Washington. Meaning Venezuela isn’t the only place with an uncertain future.