Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers - The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/us/politics/trump-drug-smugglers-military.html


By ordering the U.S. military to summarily kill a group of people aboard what he said was a drug-smuggling boat, President Trump used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis, according to specialists in the laws of war and executive power.

Mr. Trump is claiming the power to shift maritime counterdrug efforts from law enforcement rules to wartime rules. The police arrest criminal suspects for prosecution and cannot instead simply gun suspects down, except in rare circumstances where they pose an imminent threat to someone.

By contrast, in armed conflicts, troops can lawfully kill enemy combatants on sight.

Because killing people is so extreme — and doing it without due process risks killing the wrong people by mistake — the question of which rules apply is not simply a matter of policy choice. Domestic and international law both set standards constraining when presidents and nations can lawfully use wartime force.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. How Duarte!

https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-on-drugs

[Martin68]

2. An impeachable offense - if we had a majority in Congress that would actually abide by the oath of office.

[republianmushroom]

3. Your mess Chief Justice roberts, how are you going to correct it ?

Or are you going to turn a blind eye and hope it just fades into the sunset ?

[Solly Mack]

4. ...

[madinmaryland]

5. Coke Junior is not happy with his father. It's going to cost

More to go his binges.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. Well, until someone stops all of this (and him), this is life in these United States. (n/t)

[EndlessWire]

7. He's escalating.

He took it offshore and has started the bloodlust. He thinks we won't care, but if we don't, and forget that he did this, we will shortly be next. We'll be reading how some people at the border were gunned down because they were suspected of being drug dealers. Next, we'll have people shot or executed because he just said to do it.

This is an escalation of his desired power to terrorize us by executing anyone he wants.

Marco Rubio is defending a blatant murderous dictator. Still agitating for rumpy to win the Nobel? Pray for your own soul. Resign, Rubio. Run away. Go home to your wife, the one who rump called "ugly." You didn't defend her, but she's probably still there. Time to quit, Marco. Take a good, long look, Marco. See all the floating bodies, mowed down without cause, as rump tries to dominate the Caribbean. There are some rich, offshore schools ripe for the plundering. Where is your eye patch, anyway?

[Ping Tung]

8. What next? Potential thumb suckers? Cookie jar thieves? Sneaky possible jaywalkers?

Suspicious looking finger-nail-biters?