Rand Paul Again Slams Trump Admin's Strikes Against Alleged Drug Boats In New Senate Attempt To Prevent Attacks: 'War Powers Reside With Congress'

Republican Sen. Rand Paul again criticized the Trump administration's strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, part of its broader pressure campaign against the Venezuelan regime, as he spearheads a new initiative to prevent the government from bypassing Congress with such actions.

Concretely, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is forcing a vote to stop Trump from unilaterally declaring war on the South American country. NPR detailed that the Upper House will have to vote after a 10-day waiting period. The move is co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and Paul.

Paul addressed the move in a social media publication, claiming "it's imperative that we make it clear that war powers reside with Congress, not the president."

Kaine, on his end, said concerns about the possibility of outright war are growing. "The pace of the announcements, the authorization of covert activities and the military planning makes me think there's some chance this could be imminent," he told press.

In fact, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz claimed on Friday that the administration's campaign is "consistent with the law of armed conflict and Article 51 of the UN Charter."

Waltz said in a social media publication that Venezuela's authoritarian government "is whining at the UN because President Trump is hitting back HARD against the cartels and traffickers driving the deadly flow of drugs into our country."

"Maduro—a fugitive and cartel boss—has fueled this crisis for years. Not anymore. The U.S. is exercising its inherent right of self-defense, as directed by the President, to defend the American people consistent with the law of armed conflict and Article 51 of the UN Charter," Waltz added.

The article Waltz was making reference to claims that "nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security."

"Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security," the article adds.

Moreover, the Washington Post reported that a Special Operations aviation unit has flown less than a 100 miles from Venezuela, yet another message to Caracas.

The outlet detailed that the helicopters conducted training exercises, which could lead to expanded operations against the Venezuelan regime, including inside the country. Visuals circulating on social media appear to show MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks, the outlet added.

A U.S. official said the helicopters were conducting training flights and should not be taken as evidence of drills for a land assault into Venezuela.

However, report came a day after President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized the CIA to conduct lethal operations inside Venezuela, with officials telling The New York Times that the ultimate goal is removing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Moreover, the Miami Herald reported on Thursday that the Trump administration rejected an offer by the Venezuelan regime to oust Maduro and undergo a transition.