00:00It was a dramatic entrance for the detained president of Venezuela, transported by helicopter in handcuffs and then driven by armed guards to the federal courthouse in Manhattan.
00:11There, he told Judge Alvin Hellerstein, I am innocent. I am a decent man. After formally entering a not guilty plea to narco terrorism and drug trafficking charges.
00:23Nicolas Maduro appeared in a prison uniform alongside his wife, Celia Flores, who is also facing charges, and he declared himself the president of his country.
00:32It's traditional that heads of state cannot be prosecuted in foreign lands. And Mr. Trump, however, has said he's not a legitimate head of state, that he wasn't properly elected.
00:45This former Justice Department official thinks the president committed an impeachable offense.
00:50Because this wasn't in isolation, not only did he invade in violation the Declare War Clause, he's killed over 120 civilians, alleged drug traffickers, without any congressional authority.
01:02But also that it's not likely to affect Maduro's court case.
01:06The courts are very deferential to the president's authority to decide which heads of state to recognize and which not.
01:13There's an intense security presence outside of the federal courthouse, where international media are packing the sidewalks.
01:20So are demonstrators. Some of them celebrating Maduro's arrest, others calling for his release.
01:26That is not expected anytime soon, as politicians and the public debate the legality of his arrest, and the case makes its way through the court.
01:36He will remain behind bars until his next appearance in March.
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