One of President Donald Trump's allies in Congress on Sunday undercut a key claim the president has made about the administration's strikes against drug boats in international waters, according to a new report.
Over the last several weeks, the Trump administration has conducted at least 15 strikes against alleged drug boats, killing about 65 people in total, according to reports. That administration has also claimed that it does not need Congress's approval to conduct the strikes, even though both Republicans and Democrats have questioned the legality of the operations.
Trump has also said that he is planning to attack military installations inside Venezuela, one of the countries where the drug boats have originated from.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) undercut those claims during an interview with CBS' Margaret Brennan on Sunday, Politico reported.
“Talking hypotheticals about invading Venezuela, I mean, that’s not really what we’re talking about right now,” Crenshaw said, according to the report.
He also defended Trump's strikes, arguing that they amount to "deterrence."
"Deterrence almost always works, especially when you are dealing with dictators like Maduro,” Crenshaw said. “They only listen to one thing, which is power. And Venezuela has been largely left alone by American administrations. The Western Hemisphere has been left alone, and I think this president is taking it much more seriously.”