Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) issued an icy warning about a potential Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez presidency that involves a scenario where she would “kill” people.
Himes, a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, took to MSNBC’s “Chris Jansing Reports” to discuss the recent strikes against alleged drug vessels off the coast of Venezuela that have largely been kept under wraps and done in secret operation.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military killed 14 alleged narco-terrorists in a series of strikes against four suspected drug vessels in the Eastern Pacific.
“The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than [al Qaeda], and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” Hegseth declared.
However, Hines claimed that while the Trump administration and its supporters may enjoy bypassing red tape to kill alleged terrorists or drug smugglers now, they may regret letting President Donald Trump have this authority.
“If Lindsey Graham and other Republicans want to go the route of saying ‘It’s okay to kill people illegally, just so long as the American public supports it,’ the American public needs to really think that through,” Himes said.
Himes then went on to propose a scenario where Ocasio-Cortez becomes president and is able to kill whomever she deems a terrorist.
“There will be a Democratic president someday. And all my MAGA friends cheering on these illegal killings need to imagine who gets killed when President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says it doesn’t matter what the law says, she’s going to do what she’s going to do,” Himes warned.
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Himes was editorializing a statement from Graham (R-S.C.) who claimed earlier in the day that most Americans support Trump in these strikes.
However, there has been backlash from Republicans about the strikes, including from Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul who argued they were “extra-judicial.”
The White House responded to Himes’ interview by telling Fox News, “It’s shameful that Democrats are running cover for evil narcoterrorists trying to poison our homeland as over 100,000 Americans die from overdoses every year. The President acted in line with the laws of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans.”
Himes also outlined that leaders of congress were never briefed on the strikes, bashing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
He said, “They have not been authorized by the Congress, and even if because you’re Pete Hegseth and you get really jazzed up on the testosterone rush that comes from blowing up a boat with a couple of guys on it, that is not the way you’re going to interdict drugs.”