Democrats and Republicans both love illegal US wars: Ron Paul

Dr. Paul, a three-time American presidential candidate and the founder of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, made the remarks in a recent article published by his own website.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday claimed that Trump could launch a military attack against Venezuela without Congress’s approval. He said that, "[t]he president has his full range of Article II authorities and I'm very confident that any action we took in Venezuela would be lawful."

Dr. Paul wrote that President Trump “has no Constitutional authority to start a war with Venezuela or any other country that has not attacked or credibly threatened the United States without Congressional approval. It is that simple.”

“How ironic that Pompeo and the rest of the neocons in the Trump Administration are ready to attack Venezuela to ‘restore their constitution’ but they could not care less about our own Constitution!” he added.

“Without Congressional authority, US military action of any kind against Venezuela would be an illegal and likely an impeachable offense. Of course those Democrats who talk endlessly of impeaching Trump would never dream of impeaching of him over starting an illegal war. Democrats and Republicans both love illegal US wars,” he noted.  

“Unfortunately, Washington is so addicted to war that President Trump would likely have little difficulty getting authority from Congress to invade Venezuela if he bothered to ask. Just as with the disastrous US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the mainstream media is nothing but non-stop war propaganda. Even so-called progressives like Rachel Maddow are attacking the Trump Administration not for its reckless saber-rattling toward Venezuela but for not being aggressive enough!” he observed.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Paul said, “The Democrats and neocons are pushing for a direct confrontation that may even involve Russia. Republicans agree.”

“Do they really prefer thermonuclear war? Over Venezuela?” he asked.

As a small group of Venezuela army defectors began their failed coup against President Nicolas Maduro and in favor of self-proclaimed “interim president” Juan Guaido last week, senior officials within the Trump administration repeated threats of a possible war in case Maduro refused to step down.

The threat was echoed by National Security Adviser John Bolton, Pompeo and Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.