Trump admin admits to Congress they have no legal justification for strikes in Venezuela, sources say

Trump admin admits to Congress they have no legal justification for strikes in Venezuela, sources say. War powers vote expected today.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth held a classified briefing with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The subject was the escalating US military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump has hinted that US military action in the Caribbean. Sources say that administration officials admitted during the briefing that the administration had no legal justification for the US to carry out land strikes in Venezuela. The officials also reportedly said they had no plans to carry out such strikes, despite recent reports that the Pentagon was planning to strike within Venezuela.

Another briefing took place last week on the subject of US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which have killed over 50 people since September 1. That briefing left many lawmakers unsatisfied with the administration’s response to their concerns. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) tweeted that “the Pentagon pulled its lawyers – the exact people who would supply a legal justification for these strikes – from the briefing with no notice”. He added that, “If the Trump Administration thinks these strikes are legally justified, hiding from Congress sends the opposite message”.

War on drugs or regime-change war?

Last month, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel produced a report purporting to justify the boat strikes. Experts who reviewed the opinion saw it as distressingly broad, essentially giving the president authority to lethally strike anyone suspected of being part of any narcotics cartel. This includes cartels the administration has not officially designated as terrorist organizations. The presidential war powers asserted in the document are even broader than authorizations passed by Congress during the Iraq War.

The fact that the administration’s own attorneys have so far not defended this authorization to members of Congress has only sharpened concerns. Trump also recently said he would not seek Congressional authorization to strike against cartels, claiming he had the authority to do so unilaterally. However, even the very broad powers claimed in the OLC memo offer no legal justification for strikes within Venezuela itself.

The administration claims these strikes are justified to decrease the flow of deadly narcotics to the US. However, US intelligence has found that little to none of the fentanyl reaching the US is coming from or through Venezuela. President Trump and Secretary Rubio have made no secret of their desire to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Many believe that recent US military actions in the Caribbean are aimed at accomplishing this goal.

Recent weeks have seen a massive building of US military assets in the Caribbean, stoking fears that more aggressive action against Venezuela may be imminent. Tonight, the Senate will vote on a resolution to bar the Trump administration from carrying out strikes on Venezuelan soil without Congressional authorization. However, the resolution is unlikely to pass.

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