Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Trump Does The Unthinkable: Causes MSNBC Guest To Take Side Of Drug-Trafficking Terrorists

Screenshot/Rumble/MSNBC

Independent Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff attacked President Donald Trump on Thursday for bombing drug-trafficking terrorists in the Caribbean Ocean.

America’s strike sank a vessel belonging to Venezuelan drug cartel Tren de Aragua, with 11 members verified to have died in the attack, Trump announced on Tuesday. Rieckhoff argued on MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports” that the strike was a misuse of the military.

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“It’s alarming, it’s unprecedented and it’s dangerous. And it’s the latest example of how Trump continues to overextend and abuse military power,” Rieckhoff said. “I think it’s maybe the most important and one of the most underreported stories in America right now. He keeps pushing the boundaries to places we’ve never been before.”

“Not only did they kill 11 people — allegedly — they put American troops at risk. American troops could have died. Right? And any time you put American troops at risk, you owe the American public an explanation as to why,” he added. “There is absolutely no accountability right now. There is no transparency. And there’s the old saying: ‘First send the country to war, then send the troops.’ We keep sending the troops first without getting the country behind them.”

U.S. Southern Command conducted the strike in international waters, where three Aegis-class missile boats are stationed alongside other assets to interrupt the Latin American cartel’s drug trade routes.

“No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!! [sic].”

Trump classified various Latin American cartels as terrorist organizations in August and subsequently authorized the U.S. military to strike the organizations.

U.S. forces also deployed to Venezuela’s coast, readying 2 million militia personnel while also deploying ships and drones off the country’s shores.

Even former Democratic National Committee (DNC) press secretary Jose Aristimuno applauded Trump on Thursday for his actions to combat Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

“[W]e know that drug usage is connected to crime. So we see the countless amount of drugs that are coming in from Venezuela,” Aristimuno said. “And what the president is doing to stop that, to stop Nicolas Maduro, the king of the drug cartels in Latin America, it gives me great pride.”