Liberal Republican Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that the Trump administration is carrying out “extrajudicial killings.” Attack on alleged drug smuggling boats In the Caribbean Sea.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Paul said no evidence has been presented to Congress to justify President’s military operationIt’s against ships that authorities say are transporting narcotics intended to reach the U.S.
And even with a briefing, Paul said, Congress must authorize any combat conducted by the U.S. military.
“A briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution. The Constitution says when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it,” Paul said in the interview.
Paul acknowledged that during war, there are often “low rules for engagement”, and “sometimes people are killed without due process.”
“But the drug war … or crime war is typically something we do through law enforcement. And so far, they’ve alleged that these guys are drug dealers. Nobody said their names. Nobody said what the evidence is. Nobody said whether they’re armed. And we have no evidence presented.”
“So, at this point, I would call them extrajudicial killings. And it’s similar to what China does, what Iran does with drug dealers. They kill people summarily without presenting evidence to the public. So, that’s wrong,” Paul said.
Under Trump’s direction, the US military has carried out attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela and most recently in the eastern Pacific.
According to the Trump administration, US forces have killed at least 43 people since the military began its effort. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said early Friday that Army carried out its tenth attack Ever since its campaign started.
