President Donald Trump is facing harsh criticism from Republican senators in solidly red states over his exploding drug policy scandals.
According to Semafor’s Burgess Everett, several GOP senators are upset both over recent reports that Trump’s military command ordered the illegal shooting of shipwreck survivors from a ship targeted as a suspected drug trafficking operation, and his pardoning of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández from a 45-year drug trafficking sentence.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) called the shooting of maritime survivors “not acceptable,” and said that while he still stands behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in general, “if he made that decision, I think he’s made a bad decision.” (Hegseth, while still defending the order, has said it was given by Admiral Mitch Bradley and not himself.)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has been sounding the alarm on the drug strikes for weeks, had an even harsher message.
“[Hegseth] acted like he didn’t even know it happened,” Paul told Everett. “He said it was fake news yesterday. And today: ‘It happened.’ I would think someone needs to hold someone’s feet to the fire.’”
Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) expressed his fury over the Hernández pardon.
“I’m a doctor,” said Cassidy. “I have worked in a hospital for the uninsured. I have seen people die of cocaine that this guy may have helped bring in.”
All of this comes as a retiring battleground state senator, Thom Tillis (R-NC), has proclaimed that whoever was behind the double-tap order should “get the hell out” of Washington.
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