Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia has accused the Biden administration of committing a "war crime" in response to reports that a U.S. follow-on strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean was ordered, resulting in the death of two survivors.
The Democratic senator made the comments during an appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," saying that if the reported incident is true, it would be a clear violation of international laws governing the treatment of civilians. Kaine pointed to a verbal order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to leave no survivors, and a follow-on strike that killed two people in the water.
Hegseth has disputed the reports, calling them "fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory." However, Kaine believes that the administration's actions are shoddy and lack transparency. He has proposed passing war powers resolutions aimed at preventing the president from conducting strikes without congressional approval.
President Trump also weighed in on the matter, saying he didn't know if the reported incident occurred and expressing confidence in Hegseth's leadership. However, Trump acknowledged that a second strike would be unacceptable and promised to investigate the matter further.
The controversy has raised concerns about the administration's use of drone strikes in the Caribbean and the treatment of civilians caught in the crossfire. Former military lawyers have weighed in on social media, stating that the reported follow-on strike would be a clear violation of international law.
Congressional leaders have vowed to investigate the reports, with lawmakers seeking answers about the strikes' legality, targeting civilians, and the administration's rationale for conducting such operations at sea. Kaine has called for Congress to rein in the president's executive power, citing concerns that Trump is waging war on his own authority.
The Democratic senator made the comments during an appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," saying that if the reported incident is true, it would be a clear violation of international laws governing the treatment of civilians. Kaine pointed to a verbal order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to leave no survivors, and a follow-on strike that killed two people in the water.
Hegseth has disputed the reports, calling them "fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory." However, Kaine believes that the administration's actions are shoddy and lack transparency. He has proposed passing war powers resolutions aimed at preventing the president from conducting strikes without congressional approval.
President Trump also weighed in on the matter, saying he didn't know if the reported incident occurred and expressing confidence in Hegseth's leadership. However, Trump acknowledged that a second strike would be unacceptable and promised to investigate the matter further.
The controversy has raised concerns about the administration's use of drone strikes in the Caribbean and the treatment of civilians caught in the crossfire. Former military lawyers have weighed in on social media, stating that the reported follow-on strike would be a clear violation of international law.
Congressional leaders have vowed to investigate the reports, with lawmakers seeking answers about the strikes' legality, targeting civilians, and the administration's rationale for conducting such operations at sea. Kaine has called for Congress to rein in the president's executive power, citing concerns that Trump is waging war on his own authority.
- i mean, what kind of military strategy allows for follow-on strikes without even trying to save the lives of civilians? it's like they think they're above the law and international norms. but you know what the real lesson here is? accountability matters 
if the ppl in power can't be held accountable for their actions, then we've lost sight of whats truly important - humanity 
Like they never heard of situational awareness or clear orders from commanders before? This whole thing sounds like some kinda bureaucratic mess to me 
Can't we just focus on the facts here and let the investigations run their course instead of jumpin all over each other's throats? And what's with all this talk about "leavin no survivors" - that's just a war tactic, not a "crime" in itself 
a "war crime" is no joke, especially when it's about innocent ppl caught in the middle of a conflict. Kaine's right to call out the admin for lack of transparency & accountability 
we need 2 know what's really going on here & how this affects us all 
if we can't even agree on how to treat our own citizens, how can we expect to be the guardians of freedom and justice for others? 
the more I think about it, the more I'm reminded of this idea that power corrupts, but only when we give it up to someone else... 
Kaine's right to question the administration's actions, but at what cost? is this just another example of the blurred lines between politics and war? 
i mean, i get where Kaine's coming from - if there was indeed an order to leave no survivors, that's some serious business. but at the same time, Hegseth says the reports are fabricated... and Trump's all like "i don't know what happened"... like, can we just get a straight answer for once? 
I'm all about holding our leaders accountable, but come on, a "war crime" accusation? It's like, yeah, we need to investigate and find out what really went down, but let's not jump to conclusions just yet. The fact that two people died in the water is already tragic enough; we don't want to start looking at this as some kind of war trophy 
It's just... politics. But seriously, though, what's up with all these reports of drone strikes going on in the Caribbean? We need to get some answers and make sure our military is respecting international law 
. dont even get me started on the lack of transparency from hegseth... sounds like they're hidin somethin 
. cant have president just wavin his wand & killin civilians without checkin in with congress first 
. And now Trump is saying he doesn't know what happened, but still talking about investigating it... isn't that just a way of avoiding accountability? 
. like, what's next? accusing us of war crimes because we have a pizza delivery guy with a drone 
.
. It's just so sad. You know, back in the day, we didn't see this kind of stuff happening on our waters. I remember watching "Navy SEALs" with my dad and thinking that was some serious stuff. Now, it seems like our government is handling these things with a big ol' shovel, just sweeping it all under the rug 
. And what really gets me is that there's so much more to this story than we're being told. It's like they're trying to keep us in the dark about something. We need transparency here, you know? The government needs to be held accountable for their actions. This whole situation just feels... wrong 
. We gotta make sure we're followin' the rules of war and protectin' innocent lives. I mean, what's next? Just 'cause the president says so doesn't mean we can just start shootin' willy-nilly? We need to get our act together and have a serious discussion about how we're conductin' these military operations... it's time for some real accountability