Key points
- Wicker and Reed seek legal justification
- Pentagon provides documents, but no full response
- Trump denies considering strikes within Venezuela
WASHINGTON: The Republican and Democratic leaders of the US Senate Armed Services Committee stated that the Trump administration had yet to provide the details of its operations against drug cartels, along with the legal basis they had requested.
US strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have resulted in the deaths of dozens of individuals since early September, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, reports Reuters.
In a rare bipartisan move regarding the strikes, Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed issued a statement saying they had not received the requested information from the administration about its strategy to combat drug cartels.
Wicker, the chairman from Mississippi, and Reed, the top Democrat from Rhode Island, oversee the US military on the committee.
The Trump administration asserts that those targeted were involved in transporting drugs, but has not provided evidence or publicly explained the legal justification for choosing to attack the boats instead of stopping them and arresting those aboard.
Military buildup
President Donald Trump has also ordered a substantial military buildup in the Caribbean.
Wicker and Reed stated that they had requested “Execute Orders” concerning the anti-drug trafficking operations in a letter dated September 23. In a further letter on October 6, they sought any written opinion regarding the legal basis for these operations.
The lawmakers noted that by Friday, they had still not received the requested information.
In response to a query, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in an email, “Several of the requested documents were made available to the chairman, ranking member, and their staffs to review yesterday. Additionally, the Department provided its fourth bipartisan briefing on these operations to Senate staff yesterday.”
Trump denied on Friday that he was considering strikes within Venezuela, which appeared to contradict his own comments from the previous week, as expectations grew that Washington may soon expand its operations targeting drug trafficking.
