Trump Boat Bombings Take Darker Turn as Top Official Suddenly Resigns | The New Republic
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Trump Boat Bombings Take Darker Turn as Top Official Suddenly Resigns

As the head of the military’s Southern Command steps down, Adam Smith, the top Armed Services Committee Democrat, sheds new light on the departure—and on Trump’s appalling secrecy about the bombings.

Donald Trump frowns while standing in the Oval Office of the White House.
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The other day, President Trump announced that he has bombed yet another boat allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean sea. He has now struck six boats, with 27 people dead, and the bombings have been widely denounced as illegal. Now, in a strange turn of events, The New York Times reports that the head of the military’s southern command, Alvin Holsey, is stepping down amid unclear circumstances. Did his resignation have anything to do with these bombings? Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, thinks the answer is likely Yes. Smith talks to us about what he’s personally heard about the resignation and why it’s plausible that Holsey was removed over potential opposition to the bombings. He illuminates just how appallingly lacking in transparency the administration has been about the strikes, and vows that his committee will seek Holsey’s testimony about his departure, which could be very revealing indeed. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.