Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky strongly objected after Vice President JD Vance asserted in a Saturday post on X that “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”

“JD ‘I don’t give a s[—]’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??” Senator Paul wrote. “What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.” 

In a Truth Social post last week, President Donald Trump shared video footage of what he said was “a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” who he said “were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.”

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Someone responded to Vance by writing that, “Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.” 

But the vice president swiftly fired back.

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“I don’t give a s[—] what you call it,” Vance declared.

GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio pushed back against Paul.

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“What’s really despicable is defending foreign terrorist drug traffickers who are *directly* responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and Ohio. JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the life and liberty of American citizens,” Moreno wrote on on X.