U.S. officials told Congress that, at the moment, the U.S. has no plans or legal basis to attack Venezuela, according to a report by CNN. The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), which provides legal advice to the executive branch, issued an opinion to lawmakers who attended a classified session that U.S. forces could strike drug boats on the water, but they cannot legally strike inside Venezuela or another country’s territory.
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Even though the current orders don’t allow strikes inside Venezuela or on land, the officials did not completely close the door on other actions in the future, CNN reported.
Military campaign, casualties and posture
The U.S. military has been attacking boats suspected of drug trafficking since September. The most recent strike, which was announced on Tuesday, killed two people. U.S. forces have now conducted at least 16 such attacks, killing 67 people total.
The U.S. deployed a large military fleet to international waters near Venezuela, signaling serious military pressure. President Donald Trump has been considering actions to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who the U.S. does not recognize as the country’s president after questions about the legitimacy of his last reelection.
Straight Arrow News reported earlier this week that the White House explained that the military strikes are meant to “cripple the operations of drug cartels.” Trump, however, spoke more directly about it on Oct. 23.
“I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” the president said. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to kill them.”
Congressional reaction and oversight
Congress has been asking for more transparency about Trump’s military operations regarding anti-drug actions near Venezuela.
The Senate voted on a resolution Thursday evening that would have prevented Trump from taking military action in Venezuela without Congress’s approval. The measure was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Among Republicans, only Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski voted in favor. The resolution was narrowly defeated, with 49 in favor and 51 against. This means Trump is not legally blocked from taking military action in Venezuela.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top-ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke to reporters after a classified briefing, saying he believes the government has good intelligence on drug trafficking but criticized the Trump administration for blowing up boats instead of interdicting them, CNN reported.
