House Democrats said they left a classified briefing Thursday without answers about the Trump administration‘s lethal strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, raising concerns about legality, oversight, and the administration’s broader objectives.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army officer, said lawmakers were given “a tactical brief” without information about strategic goals, telling reporters, “I heard no strategy, no end game.” He added, “Our job is to oversee the use of lethal force by our military outside of the United States, and I’m walking away without an understanding of how and why they’re making an assessment that the use of lethal force is adequate here.”
At least 61 people have been killed in more than a dozen strikes, according to administration figures. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the most recent operation on Wednesday killed four people described as “narco-terrorists” in the Eastern Pacific.
Lawmakers said administration lawyers were expected to outline the legal rationale for the strikes but did not appear. “They canceled at the last minute,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said according to The Hill. Moulton, a former Marine Corps officer, said the absence of legal officials left major questions unresolved. “The last word that I gave to the admiral is, I hope you recognize the constitutional peril that you are in and the peril you are putting our troops in.”
Democrats said they were also unconvinced by officials’ explanation that the strikes were aimed at blocking fentanyl shipments. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) said briefers acknowledged the narcotics involved were predominantly cocaine, adding she was “not convinced” by claims the actions were tied to preventing fentanyl deaths.
The operations come amid a significant U.S. military buildup near Venezuela, where the administration has signaled its intent to pressure President Nicolás Maduro. U.S. assets deployed to the region include warships, spy aircraft, F-35s, and at least one submarine.
Tension over congressional access intensified after Axios reported on Wednesday that the White House provided a legal briefing on the strikes to more than a dozen Senate Republicans but did not invite Democrats. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called the move “indefensible and dangerous” and said Democrats must be given the same briefing and access to the Justice Department legal opinion reportedly justifying the strikes.
Some Republicans have also pressed for more information. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said Congress needs “insight,” while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized the campaign as involving “extrajudicial killings,” saying there has been “no evidence presented.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly dismissed Democratic complaints, calling them “bogus claims” meant to distract from the government shutdown. She said the Pentagon has held nine bipartisan briefings and “individually works through requests” from lawmakers.
Originally published on Latin Times
