Lindsey Graham rebukes Dem colleague for claiming drug boat strikes are 'sanctioned murder'

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., blasted Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Monday for calling U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean "sanctioned murder."

"To say that we're engaging in murder is just such an outrage," Graham said on "Fox & Friends."

"The President of the United States as commander-in-chief has the authority to do these strikes. Nobody accused Bush of committing murder when he invaded Panama to take down Noriega.

"Nobody accused Reagan of murder when he went into Grenada to stop Cuban influence growing in Grenada, threatening our backyard, so the president has history on his side, he has the Constitution on his side," he added.

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President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, that the U.S. killed six alleged drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela. The administration has carried out several similar strikes since Trump’s return to office. (realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)

Graham's remarks came after Gallego criticized President Donald Trump's strikes when asked if they were consistent with international law during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

"If this president feels that they’re [Venezuela] doing something illegally, then he should be using the Coast Guard. If there’s an act of war, then you use our military, and then you come and talk to us first. But… this is sanctioned murder," Gallego said.

The Trump administration has carried out 10 strikes targeting suspected drug trafficking boats that allegedly contained narco-terrorists, including Tren de Aragua gang members, since the president returned to office in January.

Some, including Republicans, have questioned the legality of such actions.

Graham zeroed in on his Democratic colleagues, however, sending a message that consulting Congress isn't always necessary.

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"Congress has declared war five times in 250 years, so when I hear that the military can't be used by the commander-in-chief, unless Congress declares war, it just shows me how ignorant these people are," he said.

"Congress is the only entity to put us in a state of war. But since the War Powers Act of 1973, commanders-in-chief have used military actions 130 times without any congressional input."