Why Won’t Anyone Hold the President Accountable?

Since deploring "political violence" is all the rage these days, at least among those who are not calling for it, we have to note that an act of political violence killed eleven people not very long ago. That the criminals lied about it shows clear consciousness of guilt. From The New York Times:

A Venezuelan boat that the U.S. military destroyed in the Caribbean last week had altered its course and appeared to have turned around before the attack started because the people onboard had apparently spotted a military aircraft stalking it, according to American officials familiar with the matter. ...

The disclosures provide new details about a military operation that was a startling departure from using law enforcement means to interdict suspected drug boats. Legal specialists who have called it a crime to summarily kill suspected low-level smugglers as if they were wartime combatants said the revelations further undercut the administration’s claim that the strike was legally justified as self-defense.

Mr. Trump announced the strike last week, saying it took place in international waters and had killed 11 people who he said were transporting drugs “heading to the United States” and were part of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. He has not put forward evidence to support those assertions but has said “we have tapes of them speaking.”

It appears now that the whole story is falling apart. It’s still unclear whether the eleven people killed were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the administration gave as a reason for why the crew was smuggling drugs, a claim for which they seem to have little or no evidence. From Reuters:

Trump's team released a video of the Sept. 2 strike and said it killed members of a Venezuelan gang transporting drugs. Still, officials have not identified who was on board, what illicit drugs were on the boat or how the attack was carried out.

Officials have given changing versions of where the boat was going. Shortly after the attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the boat was probably headed to the Caribbean nation Trinidad & Tobago and Trump said it was headed for the U.S. Rubio later amended his comment. In a break with tradition, Congress was not briefed in the week following the strike, beyond a legally mandated written notice. This angered Democratic lawmakers, and analysts said it was unusual.

By definition, state violence is political violence, and the president is pretty clearly spoiling to commit some political violence in Venezuela. And he's not going to let very much stand in his way. Thanks to the Supreme Court, and the supine leadership of the Democratic Party, nothing very much does any more.