THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent Trump Drug Boat Bombing Takes Darker Turn as Damning New Info Emerges
Sep 12, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Scott Anderson, a senior editor at Lawfare and author, dives into the controversial bombing of a boat in the Caribbean that killed 11 people. He explores the legal ramifications, questioning whether the strike was illegal or even a war crime. The podcast highlights a revealing letter from Senator Tim Kaine, emphasizing the weak legal justifications from the Trump administration. Anderson also discusses new evidence suggesting the boat may have been retreating, raising further ethical concerns about the military action.
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Unilateral Strike Raises Legal Alarm
- The Trump administration ordered a strike that killed 11 people on a Caribbean boat identified as Tren de Aragua members.
- Legal experts say this may be illegal or a war crime because Congress did not authorize it.
Administration Framed Strike As Deliberate Kill
- The strike appears to have been a U.S. drone or aerial attack that killed everyone aboard and was publicly presented as positively identifying Tren de Aragua members.
- The administration released a video clip and framed the action as deliberate lethal force ordered by the president.
Article II Used To Justify Killing Civilians
- The administration claims Article II commander-in-chief power as the sole legal authority for the strike.
- Scott Anderson says redefining traffickers as wartime combatants is a novel, problematic expansion of executive power.