“Cold-Blooded Murder”: David Cole on Trump’s Boat Attacks & <span class="caps">CIA</span> Covert Action in Venezuela

There are growing questions over the legality of U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. “These are sitting ducks, and we are simply engaged in cold-blooded murder of individuals who may or may not be drug smugglers,” says David Cole, professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. Cole says that President Trump is “committing homicide” by killing people without trial. “These individuals who have now been sent to the bottom of the sea by this president, if they were tried, at most, would face a sentence of some period of years,” says Cole. “There would be no death penalty authorized under the Constitution for these individuals, even assuming they’re guilty.” This comes as Trump has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela aimed at regime change, raising fears of a military confrontation between the two countries.