Broadcast and cable networks provided special reports Monday as Nicolás Maduro, the ousted leader of Venezuela, and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a New York federal court and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges.
The primary image on screens of the arraignment hearing were the gold doors on the outside of the Manhattan federal courthouse, with several officers on guard. Cameras are prohibited from federal district courts, even in high-profile cases, leaving news outlets to make do with running commentary and other means to provide immediate updates. CNN ran a running scroll of text updates from some of their correspondents, including Lauren Del Valle and Holmes Lybrand, while Fox News ran headlines of what was happening inside the courtroom.
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During the hearing, per the AP, Maduro, speaking in Spanish, said he was “captured” and that he was “innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country.”
Maduro is facing multiple drug trafficking charges after U.S. forces seized him and his wife in a raid in Caracas on Saturday. Trump administration officials have referred to the operation as a law enforcement one, but U.S. forces bombed sites in the city as part of the effort to seize Maduro. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. is now running the country.
More to come.