Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized Vice President JD Vance over remarks Vance made suggesting that targeting drug cartels with military force is the “highest and best use of our military.”
In a post on X, Vance wrote on Saturday: “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”
Paul responded by arguing that such an approach disregards due process. “JD, I don’t give a s[—]’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?” Paul wrote. “What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.”
The exchange comes after former President Donald Trump posted video footage on Truth Social last week, describing it as a “kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” in international waters. Trump said the individuals were transporting narcotics into the United States.
Critics online questioned Vance’s position, with one commenter writing: “Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.”
You May Also Like: White House Claps Back at Stephen King Over Trump Voter Prediction
Vance responded: “I don’t give a s[—] what you call it.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) defended Vance, pushing back on Paul’s criticism. “What’s really despicable is defending foreign terrorist drug traffickers who are directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and Ohio. JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the life and liberty of American citizens,” Moreno wrote on X.
