Sen. Schmitt Drops Blistering Clapback to Reporter’s Question About Tanker and Drug Boats
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Posted For: Rotorblade
The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, citing violations of U.S. sanctions, according to the Trump administration.
The tanker, the Skipper, has appeared on U.S. sanctions lists for several years for allegedly transporting crude oil as part of a covert Venezuela–Iran oil network. U.S. officials say that network generated revenue benefiting foreign terrorist organizations.
Because of its designation, the vessel was classified as “blocked property” under U.S. law. That status allowed the Justice Department to seek and obtain a federal seizure warrant through civil forfeiture statutes. Administration officials emphasized that the operation was carried out pursuant to domestic law and executed through the U.S. court system.
During a press exchange about the seizure, a reporter posed a question to Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) comparing the tanker operation to past U.S. actions against drug-smuggling vessels.
“If you can seize an oil tanker without killing anyone, shouldn’t that have been the way that these fishing boats were also stopped?” the reporter asked.
Schmitt sharply pushed back.
“Fishing boats? What is a fishing boat—the drug runners?” he replied. “Those aren’t fishing boats.”
When the reporter attempted to press the point, Schmitt reiterated his correction and explained the legal distinction. He noted that the Trump administration had clear authority to destroy drug-running vessels because they were designated as foreign terrorist assets. The tanker seizure, by contrast, was based on presidential economic sanctions authorized by Congress and enforced through civil authorities with assistance from the U.S. Navy.
🚨WATCH: Sen. @Eric_Schmitt CLAPS BACK at reporter.
REPORTER: If you can seize an oil tanker without killing anyone, shouldn’t that have been the way that these fishing boats were also stopped?
SCHMITT: Fishing boats?! What is a fishing boat? The drug runners?
REPORTER:… pic.twitter.com/Zl73p3KLFY
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 11, 2025
“These are two completely different legal frameworks,” Schmitt said. He also warned that attempting to board heavily armed narco-trafficking vessels would place U.S. service members at greater risk.
Schmitt added that he had no sympathy for narco-terrorists, saying his concern was for communities in Missouri suffering from drug trafficking—families who had been “poisoned” and people who had died as a result.
He praised President Trump for prioritizing those Americans, contrasting that approach with Democrats whom he accused of political grandstanding abroad.
The exchange drew praise from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who described Schmitt’s response as “spot on, well said.”
Later, another reporter asked whether Schmitt believed President Trump should be attempting to overthrow Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Schmitt dismissed the premise, saying that was not the objective and that U.S. actions were focused on protecting American interests in the region.
The attempted “gotcha” moment ultimately backfired, with Schmitt forcefully pushing back on what he characterized as a misleading narrative.
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