Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said the “double-tap strike” on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea was “essentially murder.”
Host Dana Bash said, “Secretary Hegseth defended his actions again yesterday. He compared the operation in the Caribbean to the fight against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
She asked, “Like Secretary Hegseth, as I mentioned, you are an Iraq war veteran. What’s your reaction?”
Duckworth said, “Well, there was actually a vote by Congress to put us at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There was no such vote. There was no such debate here in this situation. So, the fact that we do have professionals, our military men and women are the utmost professionals, the problem is they’ve not been authorized to be at war. And by the way, the individuals in that boat were not even aimed at the United States. So everything that they’ve done has been illegal. It’s illegal under international law. It’s illegal under the Geneva Convention. And it certainly is illegal under domestic law. It was essentially murder with that double-tap strike.”
Bash said, “I mean, that’s a very strong statement, murder. Does that constitute a war crime? Is that what you’re saying?”
Duckworth said, “It is a war crime. It’s illegal.”
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