The authors called on “officials in Colombia, Ecuador, or other affected States” to “quietly gather evidence” and “wait to issue indictments until Trump is out of office.”
Former Obama administration officials are calling on foreign governments to gather evidence against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and pursue criminal indictments after President Donald Trump leaves office. Democrats have continued to signal plans to investigate Hegseth when they retake Congress.
In a May 27 essay published by Just Security, the authors called on “officials in Colombia, Ecuador, or other affected States” to “quietly gather evidence” and “wait to issue indictments until Trump is out of office.” The authors argue that US military strikes against boats suspected of carrying cartel members could be prosecuted as crimes like murder or attempted murder.
According to reporting by Natalie Winters, the article was drafted by former Obama administration advisers, including Sarah Harrison, who served as counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security from 2015 to 2017, and Benjamin Farley, who spent 13 years in government, including as an adviser to the State Department’s Guantanamo closure envoy.
Additionally, a separate essay published November 10 by Just Security editors Tess Bridgeman and Ryan Goodman also called for investigations into Trump officials. Bridgeman previously served as a lawyer in the Obama White House and as deputy legal adviser to the National Security Council. Goodman served as special counsel to the Pentagon’s general counsel.
The article, titled “Getting Serious About Accountability in the United States” after the midterms, argues that American democracy has “been plagued by repeated failures to hold people in leadership positions accountable for gross abuses of power and outright federal crimes.” The authors say that presidential pardons for earlier conduct would not necessarily protect witnesses from prosecution for subsequent offenses, including contempt or perjury.
“Congress would be wise to watch carefully who is pardoned, for which offenses, and ensure that those individuals either tell their truth – creating a valuable public record – or face the consequences, with a particular focus on actors who are most responsible or hold the most influence for egregious wrongdoing.”
Hegseth has been among several members of the Trump administration whom Democrats have indicated they intend to investigate and potentially impeach. Last week, an effort to impeach the secretary failed. Hegseth called the move a “political spectacle” and criticized Representative Thomas Massie, who introduced the effort.
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