"Top Democrats said they were left in the dark ahead of the operation. Senate national security and leadership staff were set to meet with administration officials about the strike last week, but Trump's team abruptly canceled the briefing. Under the second Trump administration, the U.S. has entered an era where narcotraffickers are considered terrorists that the president claims the U.S. has the right to kill."
"Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday about the president's authority to conduct such strikes, border czar Tom Homan said "that's a question for the Department of Justice or ... Department of Defense," which President Trump has ordered to be rebranded as the Department of War. But he said Trump "made the right decision ... when he classified these cartels and these gangs as terrorist organizations," later adding he supports the president's action."
"The president said those on the boat were "positively identified" as members of Tren de Aragua, the crime organization that the administration has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. In response to social media personality Brian Krassenstein, who described the attacks as a "war crime," Vance wrote, "I don't give a sh-t what you call it.""
Top Democrats reported they were not informed ahead of the operation and a planned Senate briefing was abruptly canceled. The Trump administration treats narcotraffickers as terrorists and asserts authority to use lethal force against them. Border czar Tom Homan deferred legal questions to the Department of Justice or Defense while endorsing the terrorist classification. Senator Vance celebrated the strike as an appropriate military use and dismissed war-crime accusations. The president said occupants were positively identified as Tren de Aragua members, a group designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Senator Rand Paul condemned glorifying killing without trial.
Read at Axios
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]