Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton slammed the Trump administration over what he described as lack of legal justification to conduct strikes off the coast of Venezuela and the Eastern Pacific as reports indicate matters are set to escalate further.
Speaking on CNBC, Moulton said he found the Trump administration’s argument to conduct the strikes “so flimsy that it makes the case for the Iraq War look like a slam dunk.”
“It was that bad. And by the way, at the last minute they pulled the lawyers from the briefings. So all the questions that both Democrats and Republicans had about exactly what you’re getting to. what is the legal justification for this, they weren’t there to explain it,” Moulton added.
Rep. Seth Moulton the admin’s briefing on Trump’s boat strikes: “I found their justification for what they’re doing so flimsy that it makes the case for the Iraq War look like a slam dunk. It was that bad.” pic.twitter.com/fFBHyUNVbO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 31, 2025
He then noted that, at the end of the briefing, he “went to speak to the admiral, who was by far the most impressive person there, and I said ‘I hope you recognize the constitutional peril that you are in, and the peril you’re putting our troops in.'” “I got the impression from that admiral that it wasn’t lost on him,” he concluded.
Different reports have illustrated internal concerns about the military’s actions. Earlier this week, Reuters noted that troops are being required to sign non-disclosure agreements before taking part in the military campaign in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
The outlet noted that the step is highly unusual, considering the troops are already required to not disclose security secrets. Officials told the outlet that they didn’t know how many people had been required to sign the document. They did not describe the nature of the document.
The report comes shortly after the resignation of Southern Command (Southcom) head Alvin Holsey, who stepped down from his post in mid-October after reportedly raising concerns about the strikes in the region to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Citing anonymous sources, The New York Times detailed that Holsey had particularly showed concern about the strikes against alleged drug boats, which have killed over 60 people.
Another report claims that the Trump administration has already made the decision to strike military facilities inside Venezuela and attacks could take place at any time now.
The strikes seek to “decapitate the hierarchy” of the Cartel de los Soles, which U.S. officials claim is ran by top members of the Maduro regime, the Miami Herald claimed. The outlet cited officials saying they believe cartel exports amount to 500 tons of cocaine every year.
Sources didn’t tell the outlet whether Maduro is a target, but warned that his time is running out. “Maduro is about to find himself trapped and might soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he decided to,” one of them said.
Originally published on Latin Times
