Trump's Deadly Boat Strike Was Blatantly Illegal

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Guest article by Conor Lamb,

The saga of Trump's illegal and unconstitutional actions continues, now in international waters. The Administration’s deadly attack, killing 11 people on a boat coming from Venezuela, is blatantly against the law and risks setting a dangerous precedent. Congress hasn’t authorized war with Venezuela, we haven’t declared war on Venezuela, and Trump’s own intelligence people don’t believe Venezuela even controls Tren de Aragua. Furthermore, even if we were at war, principles like military necessity apply. If we knew enough to know there were illegal drugs on this boat, and they were destined for the U.S. (both claimed but unproven), how could this strike be necessary, since we could so easily convict these people in court? We do that all the time, and we don’t sentence people to death. I can’t really emphasize that enough. If death isn’t necessary within our borders, how could it possibly be necessary at sea?

My first job out of law school was as a military lawyer with the Marines, and I was taught that the law mattered to us. It was important for our internal discipline, and we believed in leading by example. Our job was to protect America, and we felt that America was safer in a world where the rule of law meant something. A good way to convince others of that was by obeying the law ourselves.

Up to this point I’d forgive you for reading this and thinking, wow, another pencil-pushing lawyer objects to Trump, the man of action. But I have a confession to make. After the military, I prosecuted heroin and fentanyl traffickers full-time for the Department of Justice. I listened to them on wiretaps, saw all the jewelry, cars, and houses they bought with the proceeds of killing people, and met the parents of people who overdosed. There were times that I hated our targets. (We had a wiretap call of two traffickers laughing and joking with each other while one watched a person overdose right in front of them, and the person died.)

So even if you feel that way, here are some practical reasons why we shouldn’t be doing what Trump just did:

Perhaps most important, virtually no heroin or fentanyl comes to the United States from Venezuela. Venezuela is a transit point for cocaine, which does not cause nearly as many overdoses as heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids.

-more-

https://www.meidasplus.com/p/trumps-deadly-boat-strike-was-blatantly