JD Vance says killing civilians is the ‘highest and best use’ of our military and he doesn’t care ‘what you call it’

JD Vance has publicly defended a recent military operation that killed 11 suspected Venezuelan drug smugglers, stating that “killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.” This defense comes after reports that the Trump administration used an airstrike against a civilian boat, which can be seen as a war crime.

Vance’s comments, however, suggest he’s not concerned about the legality, as he responded to the war crime accusation by saying, “I don’t give a s— what you call it.” According to NBC, Sen. Rand Paul couldn’t stand by and let this kind of dictator behavior go on without some pushback. He said on X, “Did [Vance] 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.”