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By Marni Rose McFall
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Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has slammed Vice President JD Vance, following his defense of a lethal American military strike against an alleged Venezuelan cartel.
"The recent drone attack on a small speedboat over 2,000 miles from our shore without identification of the occupants or the content of the boat is in no way part of a declared war, and defies our longstanding Coast Guard rules of engagement," Paul said in a statement to Newsweek over email.
Newsweek reached out to the vice president's press office and to the White House via email for comment.
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Why It Matters
Paul is one of the few Republican senators who has been critical of some of the President Donald Trump administration's policies, including its tariffs, and the "One Big Beautiful Bill."
As a libertarian Republican, the Kentucky senator has expressed criticism of military intervention, including over the strikes on Iran, something which has previously been, and continues to be, a splitting point in the Republican Party, with lawmakers including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizing military intervention.
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What To Know
On Tuesday, Trump announced that United States forces had struck a vessel allegedly carrying drugs in the southern Caribbean following its departure from Venezuela.
Following this, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that the ship had been run by a "designated narco-terrorist organization," and said the action was a lethal strike. Trump then said in a Truth Social post that the vessel had been operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, which has been designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.
On Saturday, September 6, Vance wrote on X, "Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military."
Brian Krassenstein, a social media personality and podcaster known for his anti-Trump views, responded to Vance's post and said, "Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime."
Vance then replied, "I don't give a s*** what you call it."
Paul's criticism came following this. Writing in a post on X in response to Vance, he wrote, "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial."
What People Are Saying
Senator Rand Paul, in a statement to Newsweek over email: "During my time in the Senate, I have been the foremost critic of drones being used on civilians, especially Americans. In 2013, I spoke for nearly 13 hours filibustering Obama's use of drones on American citizens overseas. I have not, however, opposed the concept of using drones in war. That position remains unaltered today. The recent drone attack on a small speedboat over 2,000 miles from our shore without identification of the occupants or the content of the boat is in no way part of a declared war and defies our longstanding Coast Guard rules of engagement which include: warnings to halt, non-lethal force to capture, and ultimately lethal force in self-defense or in cases of resistance."
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Tuesday: "Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.
"The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!"
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X on Tuesday: "As @potus just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Carribean [sic] against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization."
What's Next
The announcement of the strike came amid increased tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela following Trump's return to the White House in January.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduros previously warned that increased U.S. military activity could produce what he called a "republic in arms" and ordered troop deployments along coasts and borders in response to U.S. actions.
It is expected that U.S. maritime operations in the region and public messaging about counternarcotics objectives will continue under the Trump administration.
Update 09/09/25, 03:24 a.m. ET, this article has been updated with a statement from Senator Rand Paul.
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