"Mike Lee is a United States Senator, a former Supreme Court clerk, and a deeply unserious clown. Lee's new "Patriots of the Caribbean" initiative - which sounds like a militia group that got lost on January 6 searching for its lost shaker of salt - seeks to help the Trump administration with its recent campaign to blow up random boats (and commit war crimes in the process) by sending in a secret weapon."
"Lee's legislative brainfart - in which he's joined by House sponsor Rep. Tim Burchett - is the Cartel Marque and Reprisal Reauthorization Act, dusting off the "Letters of Marque and Reprisal" power listed in Article I. n the 18th century, this meant authorizing private ships to harass enemy vessels during wartime. In 2025, it means handing a 4Chan message board of armed rednecks a treasure map where X marks a suspected drug lord."
"Now, you might think that it's unfair to characterize Lee's policy as piracy. So here's Lee explaining, "No, no, I really just mean pirates." "Privateers is what they're called," he said. "Letters of marque and reprisal are authorized under Article 1, Section 8, Clause 10 of the Constitution." Lee said it's the same clause that gives Congress the power to declare war, but it also allows the legislative branch to issue letters of marque, "authorizing privateers, pirates essentially ... to carry out acts of piracy.""
Mike Lee proposes the "Patriots of the Caribbean" initiative to assist the Trump administration's campaign of attacking boats by deploying private actors. The proposal, backed by Rep. Tim Burchett, is titled the Cartel Marque and Reprisal Reauthorization Act and would resurrect Letters of Marque and Reprisal authority from Article I of the Constitution. The historical practice authorized private ships to harass enemy vessels; the present plan would allow privateers to target suspected traffickers. The proposal risks outsourcing violence to unaccountable civilians, could violate federal and international prohibitions on piracy, and raises serious legal and ethical concerns, as noted by former officials.
Read at Above the Law
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