GOP says Trump facing tougher scrutiny for Caribbean strikes than Obama did for drone program

By Fox News · Fox News

Some congressional Republicans are making the argument that President Donald Trump is under far more scrutiny for his strikes in the Caribbean Sea than former President Barack Obama ever experienced for his drone strikes in the Middle East. Trump and his administration have carried out several strikes against suspected Venezuelan drug boats over the last few months, which have garnered scrutiny from both sides of the aisle. Now, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is under fire for authorizing a second strike on a suspected drug boat to wipe out remaining targets, and congressional inquiries are looming. Some in the GOP are making the case that those actions were warranted and argue that it’s akin to a revamped war on drugs . JOHNSON POINTS TO OBAMA-ERA DRONE PRECEDENT AS CONGRESS PROBES DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE "We're losing sight of the bigger picture here, of the war on drugs against America," Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital. "There are more American lives lost because of illegal drugs than in the last seven years, than WWI, WWII, in Vietnam combined." Others, including House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich argued that a precedent for strikes was set under Obama, and that the former president didn’t receive near the level of scrutiny that Trump is. "If the House and Senate Armed Services Committees want to investigate the death of two drug cartel members off Venezuela, maybe they could begin with a roll-call of the innocent civilians, including women and children, killed by President Obama’s orders and a review of the rules of engagement the Obama administration followed," Gingrich said on X. "I have no doubt Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will compare very favorably with the Obama record." TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING? Obama and his administration relied heavily on the 2001 Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) passed by Congress during the Bush administration, which at the…