Bipartisan senators call on Hegseth to release strike orders on alleged drug boats in Caribbean
In a significant development regarding U.S. military operations against drug trafficking in the Caribbean, Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) have raised concerns over the Pentagon’s transparency and adherence to legal oversight. The bipartisan duo has formally requested that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide copies of military orders related to recent strikes on boats suspected of transporting narco-terrorists. Their first letter, sent on September 23, emphasized the legal requirement for the Department of Defense to share these orders with congressional defense committees within 15 days of issuance. However, the senators noted that the Pentagon has not complied with this mandate, raising alarms about the oversight of military actions under President Trump.
Following up on their initial request, Reed and Wicker sent a second letter on October 6, seeking clarification from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) regarding the legal basis for these strikes. Reports suggest that the OLC has provided a legal opinion justifying the military’s actions, which has been a point of contention among lawmakers. The senators also requested a comprehensive list of designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking groups against which the U.S. may engage in lethal military force, but to date, these documents have not been submitted. This lack of transparency has drawn criticism not only from Democrats, who have been excluded from briefings on the strikes, but also from Republicans like Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who expressed concerns about due process and the potential for innocent casualties.
The military strikes, which have reportedly resulted in the deaths of 61 individuals since September, have sparked a broader debate about the legality and ethics of using military force against suspected drug traffickers. The Pentagon has yet to disclose the identities of those killed or provide evidence of drug trafficking. As the situation unfolds, the implications of these actions are significant, particularly in light of potential military engagement with Venezuela, where the U.S. has linked drug trafficking to the Tren de Aragua gang. With tensions rising and bipartisan calls for accountability, the Senate’s scrutiny of the Pentagon’s operations underscores the critical need for oversight in military engagements, especially those involving lethal force.
Related articles:
– Link 1
– Link 2
A bipartisan pair of senators are calling on Pentagon chief
Pete Hegseth
to hand over copies of the orders issued to strike boats in the Caribbean allegedly carrying narco-terrorists.
Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released two letters they sent to Hegseth in recent weeks in response to the repeated strikes on suspected drug boats.
The first letter, which was issued on Sept. 23, explained the legal requirements for congressional oversight over the military’s executed orders, including that congressional defense committees must be provided copies of the orders within 15 days of being issued.
“Unfortunately, the Department has not complied with this requirement,” the letter reads.
HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS
The second letter, issued on Oct. 6, seeks a written opinion from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on the domestic or international legal basis for conducting the strikes and related operations.
Reports indicate that the OLC produced a legal opinion justifying the strikes, which numerous lawmakers have been demanding in recent weeks.
The senators’ letter also asked for a complete list “of all designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking organizations with whom the President has determined the United States is in a non-international armed conflict and against whom lethal military force may be used.”
“To date, these documents have not been submitted,” Reed’s office said in a news release on Friday.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have urged the
Trump administration
to release information related to the strikes.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the administration on Thursday after it excluded Democrats from briefings on the strikes, a move he called “indefensible and dangerous.”
SEN WARNER BLASTS TRUMP ADMIN FOR EXCLUDING DEMOCRATS FROM BRIEFINGS ON BOAT STRIKES: ‘DEEPLY TROUBLING’
On Wednesday, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also penned a letter demanding to review the legal justification behind the series of boat strikes they say appear to violate several laws.
“Drug trafficking is a terrible crime that has had devastating impacts on American families and communities and should be prosecuted. Nonetheless, the President’s actions to hold alleged drug traffickers accountable must still conform with the law,” the letter states.
The strikes have also garnered scrutiny from Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people.
Paul has cited
Coast Guard
statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.
The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela after it has targeted boats it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress.
In the House, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has made similar statements.
A report published on Friday suggested the U.S. military was planning to strike military installations in Venezuela, but President
Donald Trump
and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the report was inaccurate.
This comes as Hegseth announced the U.S. military on Wednesday struck another boat carrying alleged narco-terrorists. The strikes were carried out in the Eastern Pacific region at the direction of Trump, killing four men on board.
That was the 14th strike on suspected drug boats since September. A total of 61 people have reportedly been killed while three survived, including at least two who were later repatriated to their home countries.
The Pentagon
has refused to release the identities of those killed or evidence that drugs were on board.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
