CNN Analyst Calls BS On Trump Ally’s Defense Of Blockbuster Strike And Capture Of Foreign Prez: ‘Definitely a Stretch’

CNN Military Analyst Col. Cedric Leighton (Ret) called BS on a Trump ally’s defense of President Donald Trump’s strike and capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, calling it “a stretch.”

News broke after midnight Friday that the United States struck Venezuela’s capital of Caracas early Saturday morning, and at 4:21 AM, Trump announced on Truth Social that Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured and flown to the United States.

In one of a series of posts, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote that “This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.”

On Saturday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning Weekend, anchor Victor Blackwell asked Leighton to evaluate Lee’s analysis. Leighton said the rationale was “definitely a stretch”:

VICTOR BLACKWELL: Colonel, let me start with you and what we heard on social media from Senator Mike Lee, the Julia Benbrook just read from Washington, in which he says he had a conversation with the Secretary of State, and Secretary Rubio informed him that the kinetic action that… Everyone saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant. The action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article 2 of the Constitution to protect U.S. Personnel from an actual or imminent attack. What’s your thought on that?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET): Yeah, good morning, Victor.

Well, it’s a bit of a stretch, you know, in terms of, you know, combining a law enforcement action with what actually is a military action.

So the actual removal of a head of state has all kinds of ramifications from an international law perspective and certainly from a military perspective.

But it is in some ways very similar to what was done in Panama back in 1989 with Operation Just Cause when–.

And at that time, President George H.W. Bush captured the de facto leader of Panama, General Manuel Noriega, and they brought him to justice with law enforcement personnel, as well as obviously military personnel, to help make that arrest happen.

So there is some precedent for this kind of action within, you know, the U.S. History of these kinds of operations.

But it is definitely a stretch to say that this was the protection of law enforcement personnel to conduct this operation.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.