There is one person who can never face any accountability for the killing of people clinging to an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September.
That person is Donald Trump, who as US president was granted broad immunity for official acts by the Supreme Court last year while he is in office.
From there, things get tangled in a complicated bramble of military, civilian and international law.
Does Trump’s immunity for extrajudicial killings transfer down to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who gave the order to ensure the strike killed everyone on board, but said he did not order the second strike that killed survivors clinging to the boat’s side?
How about Adm. Frank Bradley, who did order the second strike, apparently, after consulting with a lawyer? Or the service members who pushed the button?
Some legal experts view the second strike as murder, but that may not matter, at least not in the short term. While a future Department of Justice or Defense could pursue charges against people involved with the strikes, it defies logic that Trump’s Department of Justice will seek accountability under US law, or that his Department of Defense will seek accountability under military law.
Trump could also always pardon anyone involved with the strikes, conveying his immunity on anyone he likes.
cnn
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