David Cole on War Crimes, Targeting Survivors, and Abuse of Power

Allegations of War Crimes in Caribbean Strikes

• 🎯 The U.S. is facing bipartisan criticism for targeting boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, with allegations of killing survivors of an initial strike.
• ⚖️ Legal experts and lawmakers, including Senator Angus King, state that a second strike to kill survivors would constitute a war crime and murder.
• 📄 The White House confirmed a second strike but claimed the order came from Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, not Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asserting it was to destroy the boat and eliminate a threat.
• 🛡️ Secretary Hegseth expressed full support for Admiral Bradley, stating he acted within his authority and the law.

Senator Mark Kelly and Illegal Orders

• 🗣️ Defense Secretary Hegseth is reportedly threatening to court-martial Senator Mark Kelly, a former naval officer, for urging service members to disobey illegal orders.
• 📜 Senator Kelly and other Democratic veterans appeared in a video emphasizing the obligation to refuse unlawful commands, stating that following orders is no defense to a war crime.
• 🚨 President Trump accused the Democrats in the video of sedition and threatened them with death, leading to death threats against Senator Kelly and his wife.

Legality and Pretext of Military Operations

• 🚫 David Cole argues that the entire operation of targeting people for suspected criminal activity, like drug smuggling, is illegal and not a legitimate act of war.
• ⚠️ Targeting survivors who pose no threat is described as criminal activity, doubly so when it involves killing people in cold blood.
• 🌍 Cole suggests that using military force against countries like Venezuela under the guise of fighting drug trafficking is a pretext for aggression and would also constitute a war crime.

Abuse of Power and Disregard for Law

• 🏛️ The Trump administration is accused of disregarding court orders, as seen in the deportation of Venezuelan men to El Salvador despite a judge's order to keep them in custody.
• ⚖️ This defiance of a judge's order to halt deportations is called outrageous and a blatant disregard for the rule of law, potentially leading to contempt charges.
• ✈️ The case of a Babson College student deported to Honduras despite a federal judge's emergency order highlights the administration's harsh and cruel immigration enforcement.
• 🤝 The pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, convicted of drug trafficking, is contrasted with the killing of alleged drug smugglers, suggesting the actions are pure politics rather than genuine drug interdiction.
• 📜 The abuse of the pardon power is criticized as a way to reward loyalists and donors, not dispense mercy, raising questions about absolute presidential power.