The legal case against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appears strong and his trial will likely end in a conviction, former Rep. Pete King said on Newsmax on Sunday, but he cautioned that procedural fights over evidence could be a hurdle.
The New York Republican, appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend" with former Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, said the matter is shaping up to be a major proceeding in Manhattan and suggested Maduro will have no shortage of defense attorneys eager to take the case.
"This is going to be a massive trial in lower Manhattan," King said. "Again, it's not a jury, but I think the case against him is very strong."
He added that the indictment he reviewed "seems ironclad," and said the only potential problem could be "getting some of the evidence in exactly how you get it, how you found it out."
Still, he said he believed the legal issues would be resolved and that "it's almost definite" there is enough evidence to convict Maduro.
Meanwhile, King said that Democrats' criticism of President Donald Trump's Venezuela actions is driven largely by politics.
"Probably the main one is Trump Derangement Syndrome," King said. "Whatever President Trump does to them is evil. It's wrong, and they have to attack it."
King also said he does not want the United States to take on a governing role in Venezuela, and urged building alliances with regional military and democratic forces.
"The only concern I have on this is I don't think we should be running Venezuela," he said. "We have to find a way to get disengaged as quickly as possible."
Kingston compared the situation to the 1990 U.S. capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, saying the Maduro case similarly involves an alleged criminal facing U.S. legal action.
"I'd like to underscore the word indictment because this is a legal action taken against a criminal, just like with Noriega," Kingston said.
He added that Maduro lacks legitimacy in the region, saying, "Every other one says he's an illegitimate leader."
Kingston also suggested Democrats could try to use the Venezuela dispute to escalate tensions in Congress during a key budget moment.
"I think what they're going to try to do is move to shut down the government again, using this as an excuse," Kingston said, pointing to the timing of appropriations legislation and warning it could be used to energize their base.
He said he did not believe such efforts would succeed, saying the administration has kept lawmakers informed.
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