Right hand, meet left hand.
On one hand, President Trump is embroiled in controversy over a pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández, former president of Honduras, who was serving 45 years for trafficking more than 400 tons of drugs into the US.
On the other hand, Trump is bombing small boats in the Caribbean under the pretext that they are (a) trafficking drugs into the US and (b) threatening the US. He’s also situated an armada off the coast of Venezuela and, this weekend, stated that the country’s airspace was off limits.
Hernández pardon
The first Trump Department of Justice released documents showing that Juan Orlando Hernández, president of Honduras, was being investigated as a “violent, multi-ton drug trafficker.” The White House claim that the Biden Administration was overzealous, harsh and unfair when prosecuting Hernández is, thus, bogus. Hernández was a co-conspirator with his brother Tony Hernández, for both drugs and money laundering; Tony was convicted at the end of Trump’s first term.
Federal prosecutor Emil Bove, appointed by then President Trump, led his brother’s prosecution.
The facts directly contravene President Trump’s assertion on Sunday. “Well, I was told — I was asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras, they said it was a Biden setup,” he told reporters. “He was the president of the country, and they basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country.”
Yes, the Hernández arrest occurred during the Biden Administration after his term as president ended. Not during. But the heavy lifting of the investigation took place with the indictment of his brother during the first Trump Administration.
“He once boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses.” He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras.”
Now Trump set him free.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n…
— John Sipher (@johnsipher.bsky.social) November 30, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Venezuela
The Trump Administration has carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged Caribbean drug boats and killed at least 82 people. There is no evidence of a crime, and smuggling is not a capital offense.
As he is wont to do, Trump made announced a government policy on Truth Social this weekend.
According to the NPR, “The Venezuelan government responded with a statement saying Trump’s comments violate international law and are a ‘colonialist threat’ to the country’s sovereignty.”
“No authority outside the Venezuelan institutional framework has the power to interfere with, block, or condition the use of international airspace,” the statement said…
Venezuela said in its statement that “such statements represent an explicit use of force, which is prohibited by Article 2, paragraph 4 of the U.N. Charter of the United Nations.”
Planes were reportedly flying just fine on Monday.
US regime change wars are reliably disastrous, and are always justified based on lies. This would be true even if Venezuela really was a major drug trafficking threat and even if Maduro really was the world’s most evil dictator, neither of which are the case.
www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/us-regime-…— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz.bsky.social) November 30, 2025 at 5:37 AM
It’s difficult to reconcile a “war against drug trafficking” (without evidence, I must remind you) with pardoning a drug trafficker. Hypocrisy writ large.
The only logical conclusion is that bombing Caribbean boats, and setting the world’s largest warship off shore, is supposed to be threatening Venezuela. Coupled with a phone call today where “Trump reportedly gave Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power immediately.” Regime change without Congressional oversight.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com