WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has yet to provide lawmakers with the basic evidence to prove its allegations. drug smuggling ship Two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said the soldiers targeted by the U.S. military in a series of deadly attacks were actually in possession of drugs.
As bipartisan dissatisfaction with the strike grows; the senate was voting Wednesday’s military strength The resolution would require the president to seek approval from Congress before launching further military strikes against cartels.
the military at least did force strike The boat, which the White House said was carrying drugs, said three of the drugs were from Venezuela. It was announced that 21 people were killed in the airstrike.
The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the administration had not yet provided “hard evidence” that the ship was carrying drugs, only pointing to unclassified video clips of the airstrike posted on social media by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
One official said the government has not explained why it is using its typical practice of blowing up ships in some cases and stopping them and seizing drugs in others.
republican government With retrospective memo Justifying one of the strikes last month, he labeled drug cartels “illegal combatants” and said the United States was currently in a state of “armed conflict” with them.
The declaration includes posed a poignant question How President Trump plans to use it his war power. Several senators have also identified themselves as pursuing a new legal framework for carrying out deadly acts, raising questions about Congress’ role in authorizing such acts.
Trump administration points to video as evidence
In response to questions about the lack of underlying evidence submitted to Congress, the Pentagon on Wednesday cited video of the airstrike that does not support the presence of drugs.
The Pentagon also referred to Hegseth’s public statements, including social media posts after the recent fatal crash, in which he said, “Our intelligence confirms without a doubt that this vessel was engaged in drug trafficking and that those on board were narco-terrorists and were operating on known drug trafficking routes.”
Lawmakers have expressed frustration that the administration has provided few details about how it came to determine that the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with cartels, or even details which criminal organizations it claims are “illegal combatants.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked at a Senate hearing on Tuesday what advice she gave President Trump to legally justify the attack. She said, “I am not going to discuss any legal advice that my department may or may not have given based on the president’s direction.”
A White House official said the lawmakers’ criticism was disingenuous and suggested the Trump administration was “much more open-minded” on legal grounds than Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration, which has targeted attacks against militants in the Middle East.
The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, but a Pentagon official said six separate classified briefings were given to Congress about the operation.
Trump administration officials say the airstrikes were necessary in self-defense, saying cartels are funneling drugs into the United States and are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. Venezuela produces cocaine, but most of it goes to Europe.
Several members of the administration are said to be pushing for a strike.
Trump has largely sidestepped traditional interagency processes in formulating a strategy to carry out strikes against drug cartels, according to U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
Officials said a small group of senior government officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and Trump ally Stephen Miller, were driving the deadly attack.
Mr. Rubio goes back to his time as a senator. insisted on taking a tougher stance. About Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
During Trump’s first term, Maduro was indicted on federal drug charges, including narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. This year, the Justice Department denounced Maduro as “one of the world’s largest drug traffickers” and doubled the reward to $50 million for information leading to his arrest.
Trump is paying attention to Venezuelan gangster Torren de AraguaHe claimed to be acting as a “front” for Maduro and said gang members were on board the first boat targeted last month. Three other strikes are suspected of being involved, but details have not been disclosed.
President Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term in January. reliable evidence that he lost Last year’s election. The US government, like several other Western countries, does not recognize Maduro’s claim of victory, instead pointing to the tally sheets collected by the Islamic State. opposition coalition indicate the candidate, Edmundo Gonzálezwon by a margin of more than 2-1.
suspension of diplomacy
However, early in his term, President Trump sent special envoy Richard Grenell to Caracas to meet with President Maduro. Six Americans detained in Venezuela Freed by Maduro’s regime During Grenell’s visit.
But diplomatic efforts with Caracas have been largely halted in recent months, and Mr. Grenell has largely been sidelined, said a person familiar with the matter and a congressional aide who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
President Maduro claimed the boat attack was an attempt to stir up unrest that could undermine his authority and force him from power.
The State Department pushed back against the idea that the administration was involved in anything other than an operation targeting drug traffickers.
“Mr. Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela. He is a fugitive from American justice who is undermining regional security and poisoning Americans, and we want him to be brought to justice,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said. “The United States is engaged in anti-drug cartel operations, and any assertion that the United States is cooperating with anyone other than in this targeted effort is completely false.”
