The U.S. military has destroyed 22 drug-trafficking vessels so far this year, according to information referenced in recent public statements.
The operations, carried out under President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, have drawn criticism from several Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who questioned the legality of the strikes during an interview on CNN.
“I mean look, the President of the United States and his Secretary of Defense are conducting murder on the high seas,” Moulton said on Sunday.
He added, “They’re committing murder and Americans should care. Look, none of us like drug traffickers, but we have laws that say drug traffickers don’t get summarily executed.”
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During the interview, Moulton suggested that the policy could eventually be applied domestically.
“Just give it time before Donald Trump starts doing this same kind of thing to people we do know right here at home,” he said.
SICKENING
Democrat Seth Moulton suggests President Trump will murder American citizens in the United States:MOULTON: "Just give it time before Donald Trump starts doing this same kind of thing to people we do know right here at home." pic.twitter.com/7pZv5i9Vc9— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 7, 2025
Moulton’s remarks followed reporting from The Wall Street Journal describing a classified Department of Justice memo.
According to the reporting, the memo states that the White House has designated fentanyl as a chemical weapon for purposes of authorizing the maritime strikes on drug boats.
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The document has not been released publicly, and no additional details have been provided by the Department of Justice regarding its contents.
Democratic lawmakers have raised questions in recent weeks about the scope of the military actions and the legal justification behind them.
Members of Congress have also debated the role of the Pentagon in counter-narcotics missions and the level of authority granted to military commanders conducting operations at sea.
The discussion intensified after a claim circulated last week suggesting a “double-tap” strike had been carried out.
Subsequent reporting stated that traffickers had returned to their vessel after an initial strike to retrieve narcotics, prompting a second strike.
🚨 BREAKING: ABC just BLEW UP Democrats’ “DOUBLE-TAP HOAX” like a COKE BOAT 🔥The Two Coke Boat “SURVIVORS” CLIMBED BACK onto the boat after the strike and tried to “SALVAGE” THE DRUGS 💣💊 pic.twitter.com/MuUvmBxUUz
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) December 4, 2025
The clarification led to continued debate among lawmakers and media outlets about the sequence of events and the rules governing such operations.
President Trump addressed the issue during an exchange with reporters, citing the number of U.S. deaths linked to illegal drugs.
He referenced annual drug-related fatalities in the United States and argued that the maritime strikes were part of broader efforts to disrupt trafficking networks responsible for fentanyl and other substances entering the country.
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We won’t kill Americans!
Marxist/Communist traitors and invaders – maybe.
It should be obvious to everyone now that the democrats are supporters of criminals, illegals, drug dealers, gangs, rapists, pedophiles, human smuggling and murderers! And are against anyone and everyone trying to stop it. Prove me wrong!!
They have said nothing about how they would stop these drugs from coming in. So it tells me that they would rather see Americans die than do anything about it.
Democrats are against EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING that President Trump does. It does not matter to them. The just hate President Trump. If Joe Biden had done this, it would have been A OK. Bet on it.
Another fool shows his stupidity and more fools will vote for this lying ….
Another democrat retard.
Drop an elected Demorat in each boat as an observer. It seems like a fair way to solve several problems at once.
I wonder if people like him actually believe the stuff coming out of their mouth or if they just say stuff like this because they think it will help them somehow.