By Gloria Ogbonna
During an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) issued a grave warning regarding a recent Washington Post report alleging that a U.S. military strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean may have violated both U.S. and international laws of war. Kaine said that if the details of the report are accurate, the action “rises to the level of a war crime.”
CBS host Nancy Cordes pressed Kaine about the troubling report, which claims that Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered that all individuals aboard the first targeted vessel be killed — even after two people reportedly survived the initial strike. According to the Washington Post, the military then launched a follow-up strike after the survivors were discovered alive.
Kaine emphasized the seriousness of the allegations:
“If that reporting is true, it’s a clear violation of the DOD’s own laws of war, as well as international laws about the way you treat people who are in that circumstance. And so this rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true.”
The senator also expressed deep concern about the lack of evidence supporting the claim that the individuals aboard the targeted vessels were actually narcotraffickers. He noted that in at least one instance, two survivors — one Colombian and one Ecuadorian — were not prosecuted. Instead, the U.S. reportedly transported them back to their home countries, where they were released. Kaine questioned:
“If they were narcotraffickers, why would we do that? We need more evidence about that.”
He also challenged the administration’s decision to launch lethal strikes rather than conduct interdictions, which are standard practice when dealing with suspected drug-smuggling vessels. Interdiction allows the U.S. to seize drugs, gather intelligence, question suspects, and extract valuable information that could lead to higher-level arrests.
Beyond the strikes themselves, Kaine raised alarms about what he described as a weak and unconvincing legal justification for military action in international waters. He revealed that members of Congress had to “pry with a crowbar” to obtain the administration’s legal rationale, which he described as “shoddy” and “not at all persuasive.”
Because the document is classified, he could not share details publicly, but he stressed that it failed to justify the operations under U.S. or international law.
Kaine listed additional red flags surrounding the situation:
- The early retirement of the head of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
- Reports that SOUTHCOM’s lead attorney deemed the strikes unlawful
- The decision by close U.S. allies — including the United Kingdom — to stop sharing intelligence related to the operations due to concerns the strikes violated international law
The senator concluded with a pointed declaration that Congress must act to halt what he views as unauthorized military action:
“It’s time for Congress to rein in a president who is deciding to wage war on his own say-so, which is not what the Constitution allows.”
Kaine’s comments add to mounting pressure on the administration to provide transparency, legal clarity, and accountability regarding the controversial Caribbean strikes an issue that now carries potentially far-reaching legal and geopolitical consequences.
Source Breitbart
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