The Needle: Trump Admin Accused of Murdering Innocent Fisherman, Marco Rubio Betrayed MS-13 Informants, And Stephen Miller Is Selling His Arlington House

Sea sick: Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the Trump administration of murdering an innocent fisherman during one of the military attacks on boats the U.S. claimed are carrying drugs into the country. Petro said the man, Alejandro Carranza, was a “lifelong fisherman” who was killed in an attack in mid-September when his damaged boat was adrift in Colombian waters. Trump responded by halting U.S. aid payments to Colombia. The Trump administration has acknowledged killing 32 people across at least seven military strikes on boats since early September, including one over the weekend that killed three people. The administration has provided no evidence for its claims that the boats carry “narcoterrorists,” and a broad range of legal experts say the extrajudicial killings by the U.S. military are illegal. And records and interviews contradict the administration’s claims. Minus three points for murder. -3 [NYT, NYT, Post]

Trust buster: Secretary of State but not his soul Marco Rubio agreed to betray MS-13 gang members who worked as informants for the FBI in exchange for the use of El Salvador’s notorious prison called the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. In March, Rubio negotiated the deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who demanded the return of nine MS-13 members in U.S. custody, the Washington Post reports. The return of those informants would hinder the U.S. investigation into Bukele’s alleged relationship with MS-13 and “undercut years of work by U.S. law enforcement to apprehend and secure the cooperation of high-ranking members of one of the world’s most deadly gangs,” the Post reports. Rubio’s deal also destroys the credibility of the Justice Department. “Who would ever trust the word of U.S. law enforcement or prosecutors again?” says Douglas Farah, a contractor who worked with the feds to investigate MS-13. Only one informant, César López Larios, was sent back to El Salvador, according to the Post. The others are awaiting their fates. Minus one point for betrayal. -1 [Post]

Chalk talk: White nationalist and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is selling his 6,000-square-foot house in Arlington. Activists have used sidewalk chalk outside his house to express their disapproval of his work, including messages such as, “Stephen Miller is destroying democracy,” and “no white nationalism.” Miller has called the messages “terroristic threats.” Plus one point for nonviolent protest. +1 [ARLnow]

Plane language: The Department of Homeland Security purchased two private jets for its puppy-killing secretary, Kristi Noem, and other top department officials. The cost of the top-of-the-line Gulfstream jets was $172 million—the latest extravagant expense for Noem that has drawn criticism. The Coast Guard originally requested $50 million in its budget this year to replace an aging jet that Noem uses, and a DHS spokesperson says the new jets are “a matter of safety.” Minus one point for going over budget. -1 [NYT, Post]

Boy bye: Samuel Douglass, a 26-year-old state senator in Vermont, resigned Friday after bipartisan calls for him to step down. Douglass was one of several young Republican Party activists and leaders who participated in group chats where members used racist, antisemitic, and homophobic language. Plus two points for bipartisan condemnation. +2  [Politico, NYT]

Friday’s Needle rating: -209 Today’s score: -2 Today’s Needle rating: -211

Recommended Stories