Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has claimed that President Donald Trump’s strikes against Venezuelan drug vessels may constitute a “war crime.”

In an interview on NBC’s This Week on Sunday morning, Van Hollen was asked by host Jonathan Karl about a recent report by The Washington Post alleging that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike on a Venezuelan drug vessel after the first left two survivors.

Here is a transcript of the exchange:

KARL: So let me ask you about that Washington Post report on the — on the attack on that Venezuelan alleged drug boat. What do you make of what happened there? Do you think there was a war crime committed?

VAN HOLLEN: I think it’s very possible there was a war crime committed. Of course, for it to be a war crime, you have to accept the Trump administration’s whole construct here.

KARL: That we’re at war.

VAN HOLLEN: Which is we’re in armed conflict, at war with this particular — with the drug gangs. Of course, they’ve never presented the public with the information they’ve got here. But it could be worse than that. Right? If that theory is wrong, then it’s plain murder.

KARL: The first strike is murder in that case?

VAN HOLLEN: That’s correct.

KARL: You’re alleging.

VAN HOLLEN: That’s correct. Well, I’m saying that it’s either murder from the first strike, if their whole theory is wrong, and I think, you know, the weight of the legal opinion here is that they have concocted this ridiculous legal theory. But even if you accept their theory than it is a war crime, and so I do believe that the secretary of Defense should be held accountable for giving those kind of orders.

Watch the clip below:

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who repeatedly committed treason by promoting MS-13, is now defending Venezuelan drug traffickers who’ve been trying to invade the US.

How long until Van Hollen has margaritas with Maduro? pic.twitter.com/uN6GAZf03v

— (@AnnasUperdone) November 30, 2025

The hysterical claims from Democrats come amid growing evidence that Trump is intending to carry out some kind of military action against Venezuela and the ruling Maduro regime.

Venezuelan airspace fell silent on Saturday after President Trump announced it would be closed.

There are also various reports that Maduro has already fled the country over fears of a military operation, although these have not been confirmed.

Venezuelan Airspace Falls Silent After Trump Orders Emergency Closure Amid Escalating Crisis

The post Sen. Chris Van Hollen Says Trump’s Venezuelan Boat Strike Likely Constituted a ‘War Crime’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Senator Dave McCormick was on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream this weekend to discuss topics including artificial intelligence.

The Senator also defended President Trump’s policy of attacking drug boats to keep the US safe from narco trafficking.

“Is there going to be bipartisan action on comprehensive legislation at the national level with respect to regulating AI?” Bream asked.

“I think we have to start with what’s happening is the biggest thing that will happen in our lifetimes. It’s like the industrial revolution on steroids,” McCormick said.

“The consequences of leadership have huge benefits for America, whether it’s solving diseases, or huge advances in nuclear fusion or advanced manufacturing,” Senator McCormick continued.

“It also is deeply connected to our military, so the leader in AI in the world will also have leadership in military capability, and so that’s why this battle with our major adversary China is so critical,” McCormick explained.

“This is the critical contest of our time, so we need to have a regulatory framework that allows innovation,” McCormick continued.

Bream turned the conversation to foreign policy and asked Senator McCormick about Venezuela.

“Is this about something more than the drug trafficking?” Bream asked about President Trump’s Truth Social comments about closed airspace above Venezuela.

The Senator explained the importance of protecting America by destroying the drug cartels and securing the border.

“We have a war that is coming through fentanyl, through opioids, through cocaine,” McCormick said.

“When President Trump was running, he and I both campaigned on the same thing, which was secure the border, designate the cartels as narco terrorists, and use our military in a strategic, focused way, to destroy this cartel infrastructure,” McCormick continued.

“This use of military in a very targeted way, there is lots of precedent,” Senator McCormick said.

“We saw 500 missions of drones. The use of military force under Obama. So, this question of whether the military can be used in this way I think has been established,” McCormick explained.

Watch:

WATCH: @SenMcCormickPA says “there’s lots of precedent” for how military is being used against alleged drug boats. pic.twitter.com/PeqiEIESa6

— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 30, 2025

The post Senator Dave McCormick Defends President Trump’s Policy Targeting Drug Boats – “This use of Military in a Very Targeted Way, there is Lots of Precedent” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Donald Trump fired off an urgent post on Sunday to rally Republicans in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District to vote for Matt Van Epps in the upcoming special election, slamming his Democrat opponent, far-left extremist Aftyn Behn, as an “unhinged” radical who must be defeated.

The Democrat candidate, Aftyn Behn, recently went viral for a resurfaced clip in which she declared, “I want power, not babies.”

This comes amid a shockingly tight race in a district Trump won by a massive 22 points in 2024, with recent polls showing Van Epps leading Behn by just two points, 48% to 46%, as undecided voters could tip the scales.

In his post, which did not hold back, Trump wrote:

I am asking all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE on Election Day, Tuesday, December 2nd, for a phenomenal Candidate, Matt Van Epps. Matt is fighting against a woman who hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music. She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE! Do not take this Race for granted. The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps! You can win this Election for Matt. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MATT VAN EPPS, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!

The 7th Congressional District special election will take place on December 2.

Behn is a dangerous leftist activist with a history of unhinged behavior and anti-American views.

During the 2020 riots sparked by George Floyd’s death, Behn tweeted that burning down police stations was “justified,” a position she has stubbornly refused to disavow.

When pressed about the post on “MS Now,” Behn evaded the question, stating, “I’m not gonna engage in cable news talking points,” while accusing opponents of smear tactics.

Wow. Democrat Aftyn Behn appears to have been celebrating the burning of a police station back in 2020 and MSNBC actually called her on it.

She wants to represent Tennessee but hates Nashville and wants to defund police.

No thanks @aftynfortn! pic.twitter.com/ncpR5dVLGJ

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) November 24, 2025

Behn has championed abolishing and defunding police, including efforts to “dissolve” the Metro Nashville Police Department.

In a 2020 podcast, she branded President Donald Trump and his supporters as “racists, white-supremacists, and bigots,” claiming his presidency empowered bigotry.

Just days ago, The Gateway Pundit brought you the insane video of Behn being dragged out, crying and screaming, from Governor Bill Lee’s office after storming in during an attempted sit-in protest.

Democrat Candidate for Tennessee Special Election Aftyn Behn Shares Hate for the City and People She Wants to Represent

The footage shows her wailing like a toddler as police remove her for criminal trespassing, perfectly capturing her pattern of disruptive, attention-seeking antics that prioritize chaos over governance.

In another resurfaced audio from her podcast, Behn sneered, "I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country."

Democrat Candidate for Tennessee Special Election Aftyn Behn Shares Hate for the City and People She Wants to Represent

When confronted with these damning remarks, Behn offered a laughable defense, claiming her words were taken out of context or were just "sarcasm."

Van Epps is a "true America First patriot" who will fight for secure borders, a strong economy, and traditional values.

Stay tuned to The Gateway Pundit for updates on this pivotal race.

The post Trump Blasts Tennessee Candidate Aftyn Behn Who ‘Hates Christianity’ and ‘Country Music,’ Urges Voters to Show Up for Matt Van Epps appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Following the November 26 shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, in which one service member was killed, and another remains in critical condition, President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new measures to tighten refugee vetting and reevaluate green card holders from multiple nations, focusing intensely on those from Middle Eastern and African countries. The suspected gunman, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s emergency resettlement program following the Afghanistan withdrawal. Trump declared his intention to “reexamine every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country under Biden” and stated the administration would take “all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country,” introducing the term “remigration” as part of his policy framework for potential deportations.

The administration has moved to block green card and visa approvals for nationals from 12 countries in Africa and the Middle East—including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—even for individuals already living legally in the United States, based on claims of insufficient identity verification and security data sharing. Additionally, a November 21 memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joe Edlow directed a comprehensive review and re-interview of approximately 200,000 refugees who entered the United States between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025, halting all green card applications for this population.

On Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro directly challenged the vetting claims of the Biden administration, declaring: “If you think there was vetting, I have a bridge to sell you,” while describing the chaos at the Kabul airport during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Pirro stated that the Biden administration “short-circuited the vetting” process and claimed that approximately 90,000 Afghan nationals were admitted without proper background checks, escalating charges against the shooting suspect to first-degree murder. Trump announced the Trump administration has suspended all processing of Afghan refugee and asylum applications “pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” affecting the thousands of Afghan nationals already granted admission into the country.

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The post President Trump Gets More Aggressive On Immigration After Horrific Shooting Of National Guard Troops | Drew Hernandez appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Senator Eric Schmitt was on “Sunday Morning Futures” with guest host Jackie DeAngelis to talk about restricting immigration in light of the deadly attack on National Guard members in DC.

The Senator explained the importance of enforcing the immigration laws that are already on the books. He said that one of the main reasons President Trump was reelected was because of his commitment to protect the nation from open borders and mass migration.

“I’m particularly interested in what Congress can do about our immigration policies to help President Trump. He’s doing everything that he can,” DeAngelis said.

“It was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who suggested moving to cut off some illegal migrants from tax benefits, from cross border money transfers,” DeAngelis said.

“Is this a good idea?” DeAngelis asked.

“I do. I think we need to take away every incentive possible that made this wide-open border the Biden administration constructed,” Senator Schmitt said.

“All this mass migration needs to be met with mass deportations. So, we have plenty of laws that are now being enforced by this administration,” Schmitt said.

“What the left wants to do, they want to you know, create controversy, create chaos, make it look like the ICE agents are the bad guys in all this,” Senator Schmitt explained.

Senator Schmitt also explained that our legal immigration system needs to be fixed. He cited the H-1B Visa program as an example of how it is affecting American workers competing with foreign workers who are paid lower wages to replace them.

“I would point out, though, that it’s not just an illegal immigration problem. We have real abuses with our legal immigration system that should be addressed,” Senator Schmitt continued.

“The good news is we have a President that wants to enforce the laws, and that is not what we saw last administration when 20 million people came here in four years, illegally,” Schmitt said.

“Can we expect a timeline where Americans will know that a system is being put into place? Our borders are secure, so that is certainly step one. I see what the President is trying to do with some of these pauses in the aftermath of this shooting,” DeAngelis said.

“What can we do to fix a broken system?” DeAngelis asked.

“I think when you hear comprehensive immigration reform it’s usually code word for mass amnesty. That’s what they are talking about, and we are not interested in that. What we need to do right now is enforce the laws of the United States,” Senator Schmitt continued.

“There is nothing particularly new about deportations. Bill Clinton deported 11 million people. The difference now is the Democrats have been radicalized,” Senator Schmitt warned.

Watch:

Today, exclusively on @SundayFutures with @MariaBartiromo, Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt @SenEricSchmitt spoke with guest host @JackieDeAngelis about President Trump tightening immigration following the deadly attack on the National Guard in Washington, D.C.@FoxNews pic.twitter.com/PjfkNsN0Zh

— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) November 30, 2025

The post Senator Eric Schmitt on Restricting Immigration in Light of Deadly Attack in DC on National Guard, Blasts Democrats for America Last Policies (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.