There is a lot of attention being paid to Donald Trump’s war on drugs, which is being carried out in international waters.
This really got a spotlight after Southern Command’s Adm. Alvin Holsey decided to step down several years before his expected retirement after Trump announced they were considering land operations in Venezuela.
Even with some in the GOP questioning the legality of these strikes, Trump has continued to push forward, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announcing yet another big strike that was carried out.
I expressed concerns about these strikes when they first started, while also saying that I supported the approach. I just wish Congress had been involved in the decision.
I really got concerned with SOUTHCOM commanding officer Adm. Holsey decided to step down after Trump announced possible operations. This was shocking, as retirements like this are far from the norm for flag and general officers.
Democrats immediately pounced, with Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) stating, “At a moment when U.S. forces are building up across the Caribbean and tensions with Venezuela are at a boiling point, the departure of our top military commander in the region sends an alarming signal of instability within the chain of command.”
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) added, “Prior to Trump, I can’t think of a combatant commander who left his or her post early, ever.”
You ask most people in the GOP if the strikes are legal, and they will tell you Trump has the authority as long as the strikes are taking place in international waters.
Not everyone is on that page, however, as Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been hammering Trump on this front. Paul has been blowing up social media as well as going on any news outlet that will have him, saying that these strikes are illegal.
I just finished reading a post on The Hill that makes the case of the strikes being illegal, leaning heavily into the argument being made by Senator Paul, who had noted, “The idea of indiscriminately killing people without knowing their names, without seeing any evidence, without making a formal accusation” is very concerning to him.
Paul had also noted that he found out that on the rare occasions when there have been survivors, they were not being arrested and facing charges here in the United States, but rather sent back to their native countries. I believe that is because the incident happened in international waters. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted during an interview, if this happened in American waters, it would be considered a law enforcement issue.
Early Sunday morning, reports broke that the United States had carried out its 15th strike against alleged drug carriers.
Hegseth posted to X, "Today, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) in the Caribbean.”
He continued, "This vessel—like EVERY OTHER—was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics."
Senate Democrats have again appealed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to provide evidence and legal opinions that would back up the premise that the United States has the right to conduct these strikes. As I have noted before, if Dems win the House back in 2026, this will be top of mind and used as an attack to try to remove Trump from office.
