WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration officials briefed a small group of Congressional leaders on Wednesday about the military buildup. campaign to destroy A suspected drug smuggling vessel off the coast of South America has provided the first high-level glimpse into the legal basis and strategy behind the attack.
secretary of state marco rubio and the Secretary of Defense pete hegseth He met for about an hour in a secure facility inside the Capitol with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who oversee national security issues.
Republicans have either remained silent or expressed confidence. President Donald Trump’s At least 66 people died in this campaign. 16 known strikes Found in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Democrats said Congress needed more information about how the airstrike was carried out and the legal legitimacy of what critics say is a violation of international and U.S. law to kill suspected drug smugglers on the high seas.
“What we’ve heard is not enough. We need more answers, and I’m now calling on every senator to brief us on this issue,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said as he left the meeting.
The press conference came a day before senators were scheduled to vote on a resolution that would require parliamentary approval for any direct attack on Venezuela.
The Trump administration has been trickling out information to Congress since it began destroying ships in the Caribbean two months ago, but aside from a few secret briefings, much of the information has come from private meetings with Trump administration Cabinet members and other officials. Despite Congress’s constitutional responsibility to authorize the use of war powers, the administration has avoided speaking to lawmakers. declared to be a member of a drug cartel They are illegal fighters who can be killed as terrorists.
At the same time, the U.S. military is increasing its naval power off the coast of South America, raising concerns about large-scale disasters. invasion of venezuela And Trump is expected to do the same. trying to expel President Nicolas Maduro confronts Drug terrorism charges in the US
What MPs learned
The secret conference included top leaders from both parties, as well as Republican chairmen and Democratic leaders of committees in both houses that oversee the military, U.S. intelligence and foreign relations. The Trump administration also released a document to senators this week outlining the campaign’s legal basis.
Lawmakers were not allowed to reveal details of the meeting, but gave a general description.
Sen. Jim Risch, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “The administration has retained me and the other members have been very well advised. (I’m) completely satisfied with what they’re doing. There’s ample legal justification for what they’re doing. The president should really be congratulated for saving the lives of young Americans.”
but Democratic Party gains power Last week, he gave a classified briefing exclusively to Republican senators, saying it was dangerous to inject partisanship when national security and American lives were at stake. After Wednesday’s press conference, Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, who leveled harsh criticism, expressed some sympathy for the idea that the United States should be more aggressive against President Maduro.
But he added that it was a “big mistake” to carry out the attack on the ship “without actually interdicting it and showing the American people that this ship was loaded with drugs and full of bad guys.”
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said U.S. intelligence assets were being used to confirm that the vessels were transporting cocaine, but added that “many mistakes can be made.” He said he was not confident that the U.S. military was using the same “architecture” as in counterterrorism attacks to ensure innocent people were not inadvertently killed.
Himes added that officials gave no indication that the strikes would stop, but also suggested they were targeting cocaine traffickers and were not overtly intent on overthrowing Maduro.
Confidential legal opinion on strikes
Senators were able to review a confidential opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of General Counsel laying out the legal basis for the strike. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, said the document contains 40 pages of thorough explanations.
However, Mr. Kane criticized this opinion as having a “logical fallacy.”
“It doesn’t say anything about the rationale for attacking Venezuela. So it’s a very elaborate legal rationale for why you can attack boats on the high seas,” he added. Warner also said the document did not specifically mention Venezuela.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said nothing in his brief or press conference convinced him that the attack was legitimate.
“They made statements and explanations. Even after all their statements, I still believe that the act was illegal,” he said.
Will Congress consider President Trump’s Venezuela strategy?
The resolution, proposed by Kaine and other Democrats and expected to be voted on Thursday, would require Congressional approval before President Trump could attack Venezuela directly. Kaine says it’s important for Congress to take back control over war powers and have a thorough debate before sending in U.S. troops and using deadly force.
A similar bill targeting high seas attacks previously failed on a mostly party-line vote, indicating some skepticism among Republicans about the president’s campaign. There is also growing friction between Congressional Republicans and the Pentagon over a number of recent policy decisions, including cuts and new restrictions on U.S. troops in Romania. How information can be shared Together with Congress.
Still, many Republican senators said this week they would be comfortable taking direct action in Venezuela.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican from Colombia, said he “absolutely” believes the Venezuelan government is a narco-state and wants the government to pursue regime change policies against Maduro’s regime.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, “If he was going to raid a drug lab, I would certainly be open to it, but I don’t know what he’s planning.”
But Democrats called for a public hearing on the administration’s plan. They also expressed concern about what they saw as the complete lack of a coherent strategy.
“I’m concerned about the lack of a clear strategy, policy and path forward,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware.
