ALAN WILSON: Holding Narco-Regime Accountable Not An Act Of War

The political class and liberal media commentators are once again rushing to outrage, this time over President Donald Trump’s decisive action involving the arrest of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. They call it escalation. They call it reckless. They call it unprecedented. They are wrong. What occurred was not an act of war. It was justice.

For years, the Maduro regime has pretended to act like a government but was nothing more than a criminal enterprise. Federal indictments and intelligence assessments have long made the case that Maduro and his inner circle were trafficking narcotics, laundering money, and conspiring with transnational criminal and terrorist organizations. These are not abstract accusations. The deadly drugs trafficked under his watch have poisoned American communities, overwhelmed our law enforcement, and killed countless U.S. citizens.

When a foreign leader is accused of directing or enabling criminal conduct that targets the United States, that individual does not enjoy immunity from accountability simply because he hides behind the title of “president.”

Under Article II of the United States Constitution, the President is vested with the authority and responsibility to protect the nation and defend American lives. That authority does not begin at our shoreline, and it does not require waiting until criminal networks complete their mission and the body count rises at home.

Clearly, capturing Maduro was not about regime change for President Trump.

For years, I have supported lawful, targeted actions to disrupt narcoterrorist operations before they reach the United States. Dismantling criminal networks at their source and holding their corrupt leaders accountable are not acts of aggression. They are acts of prevention. They save lives. They support our law enforcement. They protect our borders.

Treating Maduro now as untouchable because he cloaked himself in political power sets a dangerous precedent. It would send a dangerous signal to every other narco-dictator in the world that they can get away with trafficking poison into our country with impunity.