Maduro attorney once represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange | 5 Jan 2026 | Barry Pollack, the Washington-based attorney who once represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, will defend deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Pollack appeared with Maduro on Monday as he pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal courtroom days after U.S. forces arrested Maduro and his wife during a military raid in the South American nation. Pollack said he will challenge the legality of Maduro’s arrest in his own country by a foreign power. At Monday’s court proceeding, Pollack said he anticipated extensive legal wrangling over what he termed Maduro’s “military abduction,” signaling the defense will argue Saturday’s operation was unlawful, Reuters reported.