The Trump administration is showing no signs of curtailing its strikes on boats suspected of smuggling fentanyl and other drugs in the Caribbean. At the same time, those strikes are being met with a growing chorus of criticism from across the political spectrum.
Some lawmakers say they’ve been presented with evidence of drug smuggling on the boats that was less than convincing, while others say they haven’t seen any evidence at all. Yet another added that if former President Joe Biden were carrying out strikes with as little congressional input as President Donald Trump is, he would be “apoplectic.”
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It all comes as the U.S. continues to strike boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, arguing that each boat is carrying fentanyl capable of killing 25,000 Americans. Similarly, some in the president’s orbit have advocated for regime change and continue to characterize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as an illegitimate ruler.
Democrats push back
During an interview with ABC News’ “This Week” published Sunday, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said that he was privy to evidence of drug smuggling on the boats during a congressional briefing, but that the evidence “does not back up” the administration’s story.
“We were presented some evidence that does not back up the story that the White House is telling to the American people,” Kelly told host Martha Raddatz. Kelly conceded that “some” of the boats were carrying drugs, but not fentanyl.
“Those boats in the Caribbean do not carry fentanyl. Those routes are not used to traffic fentanyl to the United States,” Kelly said. “So, the whole story that this is about fentanyl that’s killing people is false.”
Similarly, in an appearance on C-SPAN’s “Ceasefire” published Friday, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said that he and his colleagues on the defense and appropriations committees have been left in the dark by the administration, and he gets most of his information about the strikes from news reports.
“I am concerned about the steady march towards war with Venezuela,” Coons said, adding that he supports efforts to interdict drugs that kill Americans and that he shares the administration’s view that Maduro is an illegitimate leader. “But to do so by force of arms, without consultation in any meaningful way with Congress, gravely concerns me.”
GOP voices opposition
Appearing alongside Coons on “Ceasefire” was Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. Asked if he agreed with anything his Democratic colleague said, Lankford replied, “Shockingly, I do.”
“The administration needs to give insight into Congress, that’s part of it,” Lankford said. “If this was happening with this level of insight under the Biden administration, I would be apoplectic.”
As sitting members of both the intelligence and defense committees, Lankford said that he and Coons aren’t looking for “permission,” but to simply be kept in the loop.
“This is typical consultation,” Lankford explained. “It’s not permission, but it is, ‘Hey, I want to let you know that this is happening, here are the details of what’s happening, and here’s why and what, and here’s what we know.’”
Prior to Lankford speaking out, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was one of only two members of the GOP to criticize Trump’s approach to Venezuela. On Oct. 8, Paul, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted in line with Democrats on a measure that would’ve reined in Trump’s boat strikes.
On Sunday, he doubled down on that position, describing deaths that result from U.S. strikes as “extrajudicial killings.” The family of one of the men killed in a strike, Alejandro Carranzo, said recently that he was a fisherman who worked along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and that he had no ties to drug trafficking organizations.
“So, at this point, I would call them extrajudicial killings,” Paul said during a Sunday appearance on Fox News. “And this is akin to what China does, to what Iran does with drug dealers. They summarily execute people without presenting evidence to the public. So, it’s wrong.”
Echoing concerns from Coons and Lankford, Paul also took issue with the administration’s decision to exclude Congress from the conversations about Venezuela, and argued that the issue of drug trafficking is best left to law enforcement.
“A briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution. The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it,” Paul said. “To be clear, we’ve got no information. I’ve been invited to no briefing.”
He added, “But the drug war … or the crime war has typically been something we do through law enforcement. And so far, they have alleged that these people are drug dealers. No one said their name. No one said what evidence. No one said whether they’re armed. And we’ve had no evidence presented.”
