Trump says US will keep or sell oil seized from Venezuela (BBC)

[Munu]

Trump says US will keep or sell oil seized from Venezuela (BBC)

Donald Trump has said the US will keep or sell the crude oil contained on tankers it has seized off the coast of Venezuela, as well as the vessels themselves.

The US president's comments came as Washington continues to pressure the South American country's leader Nicolás Maduro to stand down.

Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump said of the oil "we're going to keep it", adding: "Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we'll use it in the Strategic Reserves. We're keeping the ships also."

The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund drug-related crime, while Caracas has condemned the seizures as "piracy".

The US military has seized two oil tankers this month, including one on Saturday.

...

There is in fact precedent (not recent) for this sort of warfare. However ...

US Constitution, Article I, Section 8 Powers of Congress (excerpt, emphasis added).

... To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water ...

Little did I suspect when I studied that in college (1980s) that bit would be relevant again.

Congress, see? Not the president.

[Irish_Dem]

1. The money will go into his pocket.

We know that.

[Ocelot II]

2. It's basically legalized piracy. Letters of marque and reprisal authorized private citizens

in certain circumstances to seize property at sea.

Letters of marque and reprisal were once common tools for countries with small naval forces to augment their militaries by drawing upon the strength of their private merchant vessels. As a young country, the United States used the instruments with success in several early conflicts, including the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Over the course of the 19th century, however, commissioning private parties to use armed force fell out of favor in domestic and international practice, and Congress has not authorized a President to issue the instruments since the Civil War.

.... Governments increasingly commissioned privateers to help achieve national military and foreign policy goals rather than to vindicate private wrongs. Countries that did not maintain large navies, including the 18th and 19th century United States, often relied on privateering as a cost-effective way to supplement their naval forces. Letters of marque and reprisal thus enabled governments to invoke the resources of private maritime enterprise to achieve state military objectives. Privateers typically aimed to disrupt an enemy's commerce rather than engage with and destroy its military vessels, making the instruments tools of economic statecraft.

Recipients of letters of marque and reprisal obtained government authorization to engage in hostilities, but they did not receive government funding to embark on their endeavors, and they were required to outfit vessels at their own expense. Privateers were incentivized to aid the government because they received a large portion of the proceeds of the sale of captured vessels and their cargo as prizes of war. Privateers might also receive direct payments, called bounties, for some accomplishments, such as sinking superior armed vessels or capturing prisoners. Because of these financial awards, privateering became a lucrative industry during some periods, including the American Revolution.

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11272

[Raven123]

3. How much are we paying to procure that oil by force?

We will never know

[sakabatou]

4. "US Piracy now Declared Legal, says Trump"