Congress must investigate murder of Venezuelan civilians as war crime

I am writing to demand immediate congressional hearings into the ruthless killing of eleven civilians in international waters—a brazen act that has crossed one of the most dangerous lines imaginable. When armed forces loyal to Donald Trump attacked a vessel in the high seas, slaughtering innocent people, they did not merely commit an atrocity; they shattered international law, undermined U.S. credibility, and placed every American in greater peril. As Talking Points Memo has reported, this was not an act of defense, nor a tragic mistake. It was a deliberate and lethal strike on unarmed people, carried out beyond U.S. borders, in violation of every treaty and principle that governs conduct at sea. The eleven dead were not enemy combatants. They were victims of an unlawful and ruthless execution in waters that belong to no one nation. Congress must not look away. Consider the implications: • International law forbids the targeting and killing of civilians. This massacre is a direct assault on the very foundation of human rights. • By authorizing or permitting such an action, Trump has not only claimed powers he does not legally hold, he has made the United States complicit in state-sponsored murder. • Every ally and adversary is watching. If Congress fails to respond, it signals to the world that America will tolerate lawless killings when carried out by those with political power. The President has called the release of documents about other abuses a “hostile act.” Now, he or his loyalists authorize actual hostility—lethal force against civilians in international waters. If this is not the definition of a high crime, what is? Congress must act decisively. I urge you to hold immediate, public hearings to investigate this atrocity. Subpoena those who gave the orders, and those who carried them out. Demand accountability under the law, both domestic and international. If Congress shirks its duty here, then the rule of law is dead, and no American can claim that we are a nation of laws and not of men. Eleven lives have already been stolen. Failing to act now would dishonor their memory and embolden future atrocities. This is not partisan. It is not optional. It is the bare minimum Congress must do to preserve justice, human rights, and the integrity of our democracy.