Nicolás Maduro is a villain, and the world may be better with him removed from power. However, President Donald Trump has once again ignored the rule of law and due process in ordering the action against Venezuela.
According to the Constitution, Congress is the only branch of government with the power to declare war, and the capture and extracting of a ruling head of state is quite plainly an act of war.
Trump’s actions have violated U.S. law, and his campaign to blow up small boats suspected of smuggling drugs has violated international law. Smuggling drugs is illegal, immoral and tragic, but it is distinctly different from an attempt to overthrow the government or defeat our military.
We should do everything legally within our power to stop drug smuggling, but extrajudicial killings is against everything our country claims to be.
New York Times columnist David French, a former U.S. Army lawyer, has correctly stated, “The thing that separates war from murder is the law.”
Our Congress needs to hold Trump accountable for his lawlessness. Whether you agree or disagree with his political and economic ambitions in South America, the president does not have the right to unilaterally start a war.
It is time for Congress to reassert its rightful place in the governing of our country — both in matters international and domestic.
Stephen French
Ashland
