Was going to sperg about the geopolitics of this and whether it'll lead Trump the peacemaker to further military action, but I'll forget all about this and focus on the lolcow stuff.
Based on all this, clearly in Trump's eyes (and his followers):
- right-wing, crypto-loving LatAm drug-dealing dictator = good
- left-wing, crypto-ambivalent LatAm drug-dealing dictator = bad
Also, he's spent the past five minutes of the press conference sperging about Epstein Files = bad. How can his followers cope with this shit?
Maduro was extrajudicially kidnapped by a sovereign power, and brought back to New York to face charges? Charges under what legal code? America's? But he's not an American!
And we know it sure as hell won't be under Venezuela law. So what, then? UN/International law?
Charging leaders in Burgerland is nothing new. See the president of Honduras Trump recently pardoned. However, to my knowledge, this has always occurred with countries willingly handing over people to be tried/imprisoned in the USA. This kind of capture is new, but there's nothing unusual about American courts charging people for crimes. Laws against bribery and drug trafficking have broad jurisdiction.
Putting him on trial in the US is legally sound. Capturing him, much less so.
As to whether they can make a case, they probably can. Trump, as I understand it, has highly exaggerated Venezuela's role in drug trafficking, but I'm sure they have good evidence against Maduro. He has been a dictator for a decade. Was that enough to justify this kind of operation? I don't think so, but it happened and I bet they can make a good case for his crimes.
Edit: LOL
the indictment makes no mention of fentanyl, only cocaine and no other drug. Which is fair because that's mostly what Venezuela has access to. But Trump has justified this by millions of Americans dying. I don't think cocaine overdoses are a drop in the bucket.
Trump literally just said that most of the drugs killing people come from Venezuela. As always, his statements contradict what his officials actually say.