Washington, January 7 – In a detailed interview, senior US constitutional expert Michael O’Neil has defended the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as fully compliant with American law and constitutional principles. He asserts that any legal challenge in US courts stands little chance of success.
O’Neil, speaking exclusively, reframed Maduro’s capture not as the arrest of a foreign head of state, but as the lawful apprehension of a fugitive criminal. The US has long rejected Maduro’s legitimacy as Venezuela’s president, viewing him instead as the head of a narco-terrorist cartel, Cartel de los Soles, deeply involved in drug trafficking and crimes threatening American interests.
Drawing on Article II of the Constitution, O’Neil highlighted President Trump’s authority to ensure faithful execution of US laws. Once a grand jury indicts, as happened with Maduro in 2020 on federal charges including drug trafficking and terrorism links, the government is duty-bound to apprehend the suspect. Maduro now faces trial in New York’s Southern District, where bipartisan consensus holds: neither Trump nor Biden administrations recognized him as legitimate.
The Biden era even offered a $25 million bounty for information leading to his arrest. O’Neil dismissed sovereignty claims, noting courts defer to the executive on recognizing foreign leaders. Precedents like the 1989 seizure of Panama’s Manuel Noriega bolster this, with US courts upholding his conviction.
On military involvement, O’Neil called it appropriate for officer safety in high-risk operations. Maduro will receive full due process—skilled counsel, evidence access, jury trial. Conviction could mean decades in prison, followed by years of appeals. Ultimately, O’Neil emphasized, this is straightforward criminal justice against grave offenses, not international politics.