Sen. Rand Paul on Sunday sharply criticized President Donald Trump's plan to designate a major Venezuelan drug cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), warning that the move risks bypassing Congress and creating what he called a de facto state of war.
Speaking on CBS News' "Face the Nation," the Kentucky Republican said the designation, which takes effect Monday, would allow the administration to claim expanded military authority without the constitutional debate required for launching armed conflict.
"They are pretending as if we are at war," Paul said. "When you have war, the rules of engagement are lessened."
On Monday, the list will include "Cartel de los Soles" ("Cartel of the Suns"), which Washington claims is run by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The group is responsible for "terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
The FTO list includes Islamist groups, separatists, and guerrillas, and recently, gangs and drug organizations from Mexico and Colombia were added. It is overseen by the State Department.
Paul argued that applying wartime authorities to antidrug operations would be unlawful and dangerous, noting that not all vessels the Coast Guard stops on suspicion of drug trafficking contain narcotics.
He added that about one in four boats boarded off U.S. coasts are not carrying drugs.
"It actually would be unlawful if the Coast Guard started blowing up boats," he said. "But for some reason, they say we are at war off the coast of Venezuela."
The senator, who serves on the Senate Homeland Security and Foreign Relations committees, said he and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., pressed the administration to seek an official war declaration if it believes Venezuela constitutes a wartime environment.
"The administration refused," he said. "They want it both ways."
Paul also expressed frustration that he has been excluded from classified briefings on the policy, saying only "a few hand-selected people" have been briefed.
He warned that the administration's approach lacks transparency and could undermine the rule of law, especially when U.S. forces detain suspected traffickers without collecting evidence or questioning them about cartel networks.
Paul said several detainees have been released to Colombia or Ecuador without any attempt to gather intelligence.
Paul also raised concerns that some in government have long pushed for military action in Venezuela.
He pointed specifically to Rubio, saying Rubio had "very much [been an] advocate of regime change" before joining the administration.
Paul predicted that any military escalation or a renewed push for funding for Ukraine could fracture Trump's political coalition.
"A lot of people, including myself, were attracted to the president because of his desire to not get us involved in foreign wars," he said.
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