US Lawmakers Push for Investigation into Trump’s Anti-Cartel Strikes

By Staff, Agencies

A group of US lawmakers is demanding a legal review of President Donald Trump’s recent strikes on suspected cartel boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Their concerns grew after a Washington Post report claimed War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the killing of survivors from one boat that had already been destroyed.

Senator Tim Kaine said that if the report is accurate, it would violate both US military law and international rules on the treatment of incapacitated combatants — potentially rising to the level of a war crime.

Kaine added that he and other legislators are troubled by the overall legal justification for the operations. He has previously tried, unsuccessfully, to block Trump from launching attacks on Venezuela without congressional approval.

Republican Representative Mike Turner echoed these concerns, noting widespread unease in Congress about the legality of the so-called “drug boat” strikes.

Hegseth rejected the Post story as “fake news,” but defended the attacks as necessary to stop drug trafficking and eliminate “narco-terrorists.”

Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuela’s government of supporting cartels and has threatened military action. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denies the allegations and warned Washington against triggering another “senseless war.”