Sen. Rand Paul says Caribbean boat strikes 'go against all of our tradition'

Sen. Rand Paul condemned U.S. strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, saying in an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that the strikes "go against all of our tradition."

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., condemned U.S. strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, saying in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the strikes “go against all of our tradition.”

Paul argued that when the U.S. kills someone, “you really need to know someone’s name, at least, you have to accuse them of something.”

“You have to present evidence,” Paul said. “So all these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime.”

Paul’s criticism comes as the U.S. has targeted at least five boats that the administration says it believes are connected to Venezuelan drug cartels. NBC News has reported that lawmakers have been growing increasingly concerned about a lack of information about the intelligence and strategy behind the Trump administration’s decision to strike the boats.

“If our policy now is to blow up every ship we suspect or accuse of drug running, that would be a bizarre world in which 25% of the people might be innocent,” Paul argued.