A military analyst on Thursday slammed President Donald Trump's decision to bomb an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela.
Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, who led Army troops in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008, joined The Bulwark's Tim Miller on a new episode of the outlet's podcast, "Bulwark Super Feed," to discuss the strike. Hertling argued that the Trump administration may have broken the law by striking the boat, even if it was being used to run drugs, as the administration has claimed.
"There's been a lot of talk in the circles I hang out in, former military guys asking, 'Was this even a legal strike?" Hertling said. "It seems to be an extrajudicial killing, which we saw a lot of when we were fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan."
"It's overkill," Hertling continued. "That's the best way to put it, and it's not necessarily legal."
Hertling also pointed out that the Trump administration can't keep its story straight about the strike. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the boat was heading for Trinidad. Trump told the press that it was headed for America to justify the strike. Rubio then revised his story on Wednesday to say the boat was heading for America, Hertling argued.
Hertling added that it may have been more likely that the boat was being used by human traffickers because of its size. But that opens up another series of questions about the strike, he said.
"What if there were humans who were being trafficked on the boat?" Hertling asked.
