"Despicable and thoughtless": Vance's drug vessel strike praise slammed by senator

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blasted Vice President JD Vance Saturday for describing the deadly U.S. strike on a drug vessel as "highest and best use of our military," slamming his sentiment as "despicable and thoughtless."The big picture: Trump administration officials have signaled the attack on an alleged drug-running boat will not be the last amid a militarized war on drugs, over which some lawmakers have raised legal concerns.Top Democrats said they were left in the dark ahead of the operation. Senate national security and leadership staff were set to meet with administration officials about the strike last week, but Trump's team abruptly canceled the briefing.Under the second Trump administration, the U.S. has entered an era where narcotraffickers are considered terrorists that the president claims the U.S. has the right to kill.Driving the news: Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday about the president's authority to conduct such strikes, border czar Tom Homan said "that's a question for the Department of Justice or ... Department of Defense," which President Trump has ordered to be rebranded as the Department of War.But he said Trump "made the right decision ... when he classified these cartels and these gangs as terrorist organizations," later adding he supports the president's action. Catch up quick: Vance enthusiastically endorsed the strike, which Trump said killed 11 "terrorists," saying on X that "[k]illing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military."The president said those on the boat were "positively identified" as members of Tren de Aragua, the crime organization that the administration has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.In response to social media personality Brian Krassenstein, who described the attacks as a "war crime," Vance wrote, "I don't give a sh-t what you call it."Friction point: Paul, who has broken from the administration on several policy issues, called the vice president "JD 'I don't give a sh-t' Vance" in his Saturday jab and wrote, "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial."But Homan, responding to Paul's criticism Sunday, said he's "glad" to see the U.S. "playing the away game."Zoom out: The strike on the vessel that officials said hailed from Venezuela was a major escalation in the president's brewing feud with the country and its president, Nicolás Maduro, who the administration has labeled a leader of a drug-trafficking terrorist cartel.While the operation is targeting drug trafficking, potential regime change would be a likely welcome side effect, Axios' Marc Caputo reported.What we're watching: But as the administration touts its military crackdown on drugs, lawmakers are seeking more information about the legal basis for its mission. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Az.), a Navy veteran, told Axios last week that service members shouldn't be put in a situation where they are "doing things that are outside of legal boundaries."Go deeper: Trump 2.0 refashions U.S. military muscle

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