WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional consideration of U.S. military strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 attack.
Lawmakers said they didn't know whether the Washington Post report last week was true and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said targeting survivors of the first missile strike raises serious legal issues.
“This rises to the level of a war crime if true,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia.
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about the subsequent strike aimed at people who could no longer fight, said Congress had no information about what happened. He noted that the Armed Services Committee leaders in both the House and Senate have launched investigations.
“Obviously, if that happened, it would be very serious and I agree that it would be an illegal act,” Turner said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Sunday evening, returning to Washington from Florida, where he celebrated Thanksgiving, confirmed that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The US administration says the strikes in the Caribbean are aimed at cartels, some of which it says are controlled by Maduro. Trump is also weighing whether to launch strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.
Trump declined to comment on details of the conversation, which was first reported by The New York Times.
“I wouldn't say it went well or badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked about the call.
Venezuela's communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the conversation with Trump.
Turner said there are concerns in Congress about attacks on ships the Trump administration says are carrying drugs, but the allegation of the Sept. 2 attack is “completely outside the scope of anything that has been discussed with Congress and the investigation is ongoing.”
The lawmakers' comments during news appearances come as the administration steps up its crackdown on drug trafficking in the United States. On Saturday, Trump said the airspace “over and around” Venezuela should be considered “totally closed,” a statement that raised more questions about U.S. pressure on Maduro. Maduro's government accused Trump of being a “colonial threat” and seeking to undermine the sovereignty of the South American country.
Following the Post's report, Hegseth said Friday on Channel X that “fake news is more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting designed to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to defend the homeland.”
“Our current operations in the Caribbean are legal under both US and international law, all actions comply with the laws of armed conflict and are approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.
On Sunday, Trump said the administration would “look into” the issue, but added: “I wouldn't want that – not a second strike.” The President also defended Hegseth.
“Pete said he didn't order those two men killed,” Trump said. He added: “And I believe him.”
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and its top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said in a joint statement late Friday that the committee “will conduct active oversight to determine the facts surrounding these circumstances.”
That followed Saturday when the House Armed Services Committee chairman, Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama, and the ranking Democratic member, Washington Rep. Adam Smith, issued a joint statement saying the panel is committed to “providing strong oversight of Department of Defense military operations in the Caribbean.”
“We take reports of follow-up strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Southern Command region seriously and are taking bipartisan action to obtain a full record of the operation in question,” Rogers and Smith said, referring to U.S. Southern Command.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., asked about the Sept. 2 attack, said Hegseth deserves a chance to present his side of the story.
“We have to get to the bottom of it. I don't think he would be stupid enough to make that decision and say kill everyone, kill the survivors, because that's a clear violation of the laws of war,” Bacon said. “So I highly suspect he would do something like that because it would defy common sense.”
Caine and Turner appeared on CBS's “Face the Nation,” and Bacon appeared on ABC's “This Week.”
