Joe diGenova, former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and Victoria Toensing, a former senior official at the Department of Justice, told Newsmax on Tuesday that it would be better if captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was tried in Miami, rather than in New York.
"New York has a corrupt legal system," Toensing said on "The Chris Salcedo Show." "We saw that with all the [President Donald] Trump trials."
"Even their federal judges are unethical," Toensing said.
Toensing and diGenova noted that Judge Alvin Hellerstein has previously ruled against Trump in other cases, including by blocking the deportation of immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act without due process.
"He can do all kinds of mischief," Toensing said of the Clinton appointee.
DiGenova expressed concern about the jury pool in New York City being sympathetic to Maduro.
"This is an old case from years ago," diGenova said. "The bottom line is that he needs to be reindicted in Miami."
DiGenova said he could see individual states file charges against Maduro for the damage his drugs did to their states.
"His drug smuggling operation with the narcoterrorists was a cartel operation, and they smuggled drugs through Florida, through Texas, into Mexico, and elsewhere by land and sea," diGenova said.
"And they went all over the United States," diGenova added. "With the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, various state attorneys general would be able to make cases."
DiGenova said state trials would occur after Maduro's federal trial.
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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