Trump Notifies Congress U.S. Is at War with Drug Cartels

The Trump administration has informed Congress that the United States armed forces are engaged in hostilities against drug cartels and have killed operatives the president has unilaterally determined are “enemy combatants” because they are allegedly shipping quantities of illegal narcotics that kill Americans.

The notice was conveyed to Congress this week in a report that is required by statute — Section 1543a of federal war and national defense law (Title 50, U.S. Code) — when American military forces engage in hostilities. Although the law mandates notice within 48 hours of the engagement, the three reported U.S. missile attacks on seacraft began a month ago (on September 2), and the last one publicly disclosed by President Trump appears to have occurred almost two weeks ago, on September 19. (I’ve posted about the attacks here, here, and here, and Rich and I discussed them on the podcast this week.)

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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The Trump administration has informed Congress that the United States armed forces are engaged in hostilities against drug cartels and have killed operatives the president has unilaterally determined are “enemy combatants” because they are allegedly shipping quantities of illegal narcotics that kill Americans.

The notice was conveyed to Congress this week in a report that is required by statute — Section 1543a of federal war and national defense law (Title 50, U.S. Code) — when American military forces engage in hostilities. Although the law mandates notice within 48 hours of the engagement, the three reported U.S. missile attacks on seacraft began a month ago (on September 2), and the last one publicly disclosed by President Trump appears to have occurred almost two weeks ago, on September 19. (I’ve posted about the attacks here, here, and here, and Rich and I discussed them on the podcast this week.)

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.