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The commander of<\/span> the arm of the U.S. military responsible for President Donald Trump\u2019s illegal military occupations<\/a> of American cities said he is willing to conduct attacks on so-called designated terrorist organizations within the U.S. This startling admission comes after months of extrajudicial killings of alleged members or affiliates of DTOs in the waters near Venezuela, which experts<\/a> and lawmakers<\/a> say are outright murders<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gen. Gregory Guillot of U.S. Northern Command, a four-star general who takes his orders from War Secretary Pete Hegseth, made clear his position in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. When asked about his willingness to attack DTOs within U.S. borders by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., he replied<\/a>: \u201cIf I had questions, I would elevate that to the chairman and the secretary. \u2026 And if I had no concerns and I was confident in the lawful order, I would definitely execute that order.\u201d<\/p>\n Guillot\u2019s openness about the potential for unprecedented military action within U.S. borders comes as the White House, Pentagon, and Justice Department continue to refuse to rule out summary executions of Americans on Trump\u2019s secret enemies list<\/a>, after weeks of requests for clarifications<\/a> from The Intercept.<\/p>\n The military has carried out 25 known attacks in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September<\/a>, killing at least 95 civilians whom it claims are narco-terrorists affiliated with DTOs. The most recent strikes, three on Monday in the Pacific Ocean against \u201cvessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,\u201d killed a total of eight people, according to U.S. Southern Command<\/a>.<\/p>\n The questionable legal justification for these attacks makes Guillot\u2019s response all the more concerning, said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Brennan Center\u2019s liberty and national security program.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem with General Guillot\u2019s answer is that it elides the concerns that have already been raised about the lawfulness of conducting military attacks against drug trafficking operations,\u201d Goitein told The Intercept.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When The Intercept asked if Guillot would be willing to refuse orders if, after elevating his concerns to the chair and the secretary, he was still not confident in the legality of the orders, Teresa C. Meadows, the U.S. Northern Command Media and Plans chief, replied: \u201cNORTHCOM does not designate terrorist organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is one of the concerns with the administration asserting that the President essentially has a license to kill outside the law based on his own say so,\u201d said Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer who is a specialist in counterterrorism issues and the laws of war. \u201cThat prerogative might be wielded elsewhere \u2014 including inside the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the military has conducted 95 summary executions of civilians in the Caribbean at the direction of Trump and Hegseth, it is not sufficient anymore for commanders to say to lawmakers that they will run any legal concerns up the chain \u2014 at the top of which are those who would be giving the order,\u201d said Sarah Harrison, who previously served as associate general counsel at the Pentagon\u2019s Office of General Counsel, International Affairs. \u201cRather, to make clear they will uphold the rule of law, they should be definitive in saying that they will disobey patently unlawful orders, which include the scenario Senator Reed laid out for Gen. Guillot.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n