Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has claimed that President Donald Trump’s strikes against Venezuelan drug vessels may constitute a “war crime.”
In an interview on NBC’s This Week on Sunday morning, Van Hollen was asked by host Jonathan Karl about a recent report by The Washington Post alleging that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike on a Venezuelan drug vessel after the first left two survivors.
Here is a transcript of the exchange:
KARL: So let me ask you about that Washington Post report on the — on the attack on that Venezuelan alleged drug boat. What do you make of what happened there? Do you think there was a war crime committed?
VAN HOLLEN: I think it’s very possible there was a war crime committed. Of course, for it to be a war crime, you have to accept the Trump administration’s whole construct here.
KARL: That we’re at war.
VAN HOLLEN: Which is we’re in armed conflict, at war with this particular — with the drug gangs. Of course, they’ve never presented the public with the information they’ve got here. But it could be worse than that. Right? If that theory is wrong, then it’s plain murder.
KARL: The first strike is murder in that case?
VAN HOLLEN: That’s correct.
KARL: You’re alleging.
VAN HOLLEN: That’s correct. Well, I’m saying that it’s either murder from the first strike, if their whole theory is wrong, and I think, you know, the weight of the legal opinion here is that they have concocted this ridiculous legal theory. But even if you accept their theory than it is a war crime, and so I do believe that the secretary of Defense should be held accountable for giving those kind of orders.
Watch the clip below:
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who repeatedly committed treason by promoting MS-13, is now defending Venezuelan drug traffickers who’ve been trying to invade the US.
How long until Van Hollen has margaritas with Maduro? pic.twitter.com/uN6GAZf03v
— (@AnnasUperdone) November 30, 2025
The hysterical claims from Democrats come amid growing evidence that Trump is intending to carry out some kind of military action against Venezuela and the ruling Maduro regime.
Venezuelan airspace fell silent on Saturday after President Trump announced it would be closed.
There are also various reports that Maduro has already fled the country over fears of a military operation, although these have not been confirmed.
Venezuelan Airspace Falls Silent After Trump Orders Emergency Closure Amid Escalating Crisis
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