Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., told Newsmax on Thursday that the U.S. arrest and extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was a lawful law-enforcement operation and that he is confident the American justice system will convict him and keep him behind bars for a long time.
Appearing on "National Report," Ricketts described Maduro as a “narco-terrorist communist dictator” and said the "world is better off" without him in Venezuela.
Ricketts also pointed to what he called hypocrisy among Democrats, noting that several had previously called for Maduro’s removal.
He cited Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who had criticized President Donald Trump in the past for not ousting Maduro during his first term.
“Now that he’s out, all of a sudden they don’t like it because Trump did it,” Ricketts said.
The senator compared the legality of Maduro’s arrest to the case of former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, who challenged his removal from Panama in the late 1980s.
Noriega was indicted on U.S. drug charges in 1988, captured during the U.S. invasion of Panama, and later convicted in federal court.
Ricketts said U.S. courts ultimately upheld Noriega’s prosecution, rejecting claims that his capture was illegal.
“This has actually been litigated before with Noriega,” Ricketts said. “It was upheld in our courts here.”
Ricketts said he expects a similar outcome in Maduro’s case, adding that both Maduro and his wife will face long prison sentences.
“I’m confident that our justice system will be able to convict him and put him and his wife away for a long, long time,” he said.
Ricketts argued that Maduro’s Venezuela had become a safe haven for U.S. adversaries, including communist China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba, while serving as a transit point for dangerous drugs headed to the United States and Europe.
Calling the development “good for America,” Ricketts said he is watching closely to see how interim authorities in Venezuela will work with the United States to curb drug trafficking and restore stability.
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