By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-patel-declines-to-offer-legal-justification-for-trump-administration-strikes-on-venezuelan-boats Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Patel declines to offer legal justification for Trump administration strikes on Venezuelan boats Politics Sep 16, 2025 12:56 PM EDT Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a close ally of Trump, asked FBI Director Kash Patel Tuesday what legal justification the administration is using for military strikes on Venezuelan boats that the president has said are carrying drugs. Watch the full exchange between Sen. Lindsey Graham and FBI Director Kash Patel in video player above. Patel declined to answer, saying he would leave that to Attorney General Pam Bondi. READ MORE: Trump says the U.S. attacked another boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela While Republicans in Congress haven’t objected to Trump using the U.S. military to strike the boats, some are beginning to ask questions on how the operations are conducted and their legal justification. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Still, Graham expressed support for an aggressive approach to nations where drugs are manufactured. READ MORE: Trump’s strike on alleged Venezuelan drug boat raises questions about his use of military power “We will hunt down every single one of those narco-traffickers,” Patel told Graham. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a close ally of Trump, asked FBI Director Kash Patel Tuesday what legal justification the administration is using for military strikes on Venezuelan boats that the president has said are carrying drugs. Watch the full exchange between Sen. Lindsey Graham and FBI Director Kash Patel in video player above. Patel declined to answer, saying he would leave that to Attorney General Pam Bondi. READ MORE: Trump says the U.S. attacked another boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela While Republicans in Congress haven’t objected to Trump using the U.S. military to strike the boats, some are beginning to ask questions on how the operations are conducted and their legal justification. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Still, Graham expressed support for an aggressive approach to nations where drugs are manufactured. READ MORE: Trump’s strike on alleged Venezuelan drug boat raises questions about his use of military power “We will hunt down every single one of those narco-traffickers,” Patel told Graham. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now