U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Trade and Manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman warned that President Donald Trump's tendency to navigate multiple scandals at the same time has distracted Americans from his intensified bombing campaigns in South America, which have killed approximately 200 people and violated international law.
In a Substack essay, Litman argued that Trump's lawlessness carries enormous costs while remaining largely hidden from public scrutiny.
"We are already giving this tinpot dictator far more attention than he deserves, and yet not nearly enough to keep vigil over the enormous costs of his lawlessness," Litman wrote.
He cited Signalgate —when Trump officials leaked sensitive military operation plans through unapproved encrypted messaging—and the heavily redacted Epstein files as scandals swept aside by Trump's repeated misconduct.
Litman emphasized the bombing campaign's scale: "Two hundred people killed in secret, in international waters, without legal authority, without evidence of effect, at a cost of nearly five billion dollars."
He stressed the need for comprehensive oversight mechanisms once the Trump administration leaves office, noting the public remains focused on other matters while these operations continue.
Watch the video below.