J.D. Vance jokes about White House committing war crimes

Vice President J.D. Vance appeared to joke about the military killing civilians during a campaign stop in Howell, MI, on Wednesday.

This month, the U.S. military destroyed two boats in the Caribbean that were allegedly ferrying narcotics from Venezuela, killing 14 people. In his speech, Vance recalled a conversation with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about how fewer drug vessels are now reaching the United States.

“I know why,” Vance laughed. “Hell, I wouldn’t go fishing right now in that area of that world.”

The White House has provided no proof that the two boats were actually trafficking drugs, nor did it seek approval from Congress before taking military action against them.

The attacks may also violate the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which bars the military from carrying out law enforcement duties. A 1989 amendment explicitly limited the military’s role in drug enforcement to monitoring the flow of narcotics.

“Let us be clear: this may be an extrajudicial execution, which is murder,” Daphne Eviatar of Amnesty International told NPR. “There is absolutely no legal justification for this military strike.”

This is not the first time Vance has raised eyebrows with how he discussed the incident. A social media post from Vance defending it prompted an angry response from Republican Sen. Rand Paul.

“JD ‘I don’t give a shit’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military,’” Paul wrote on X. “Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.”

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to end foreign wars. Instead, he has launched new actions in the Caribbean and Iran, escalated the conflict in Yemen, and failed to broker ceasefires in Israel and Ukraine.

A recent YouGov poll found that 62% of voters oppose military action against Venezuela.