Main Intelligence Committee Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of leaving them in the dead of night on strikes within the Caribbean which have killed greater than 40 folks, demanding details about the intelligence group’s function.
The letter requests the authorized justifications for the strikes, which has focused a collection of boats the Trump administration has claimed with out proof are ferrying medication off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia.
“Despite our repeated requests, the intelligence committees have received virtually no information about the Intelligence Community’s support for these operations,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Md.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the highest Democrat on every chamber’s Intelligence Committee, wrote to Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
“We have not been told which agencies are providing intelligence support, the nature of that assistance, or the amount of IC resources and personnel dedicated to this effort,” they continued. “Nor have we been advised about the IC’s role in collecting and analyzing intelligence after the strikes to assess the identities of those targeted, the type and quantity of drugs that may have been onboard, and the impact of the strikes.”
The strikes have exacerbated tensions within the area, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro accusing the U.S. of homicide after an operation in Colombian waters that he mentioned killed a “lifelong fisherman.”
The deaths “are not war casualties, they are murders,” he mentioned Friday on social media.
The lawmakers requested for extra details about how the intelligence group has been concerned within the navy strikes, together with any “post-strike assessment.”
“Good intelligence is critical to ensure that these operations do not kill innocent people with no connection to the drug trade. There have already been public reports that these strikes have killed individuals who were not affiliated with any drug trafficking organization,” they wrote.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), beforehand criticized the strikes, noting that related operations carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard fail to seek out medication in a few quarter of interdicted boats.
“We can’t have a policy where we just blow up ships where we don’t even know the people’s names,” or whether or not they truly are transporting medication, he mentioned earlier this month.
The Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence didn’t reply to request for remark.
The Trump administration has beefed up its navy presence within the Caribbean, deploying warships, fighter jets and at the least one nuclear-powered submarine within the area. There are about 10,000 U.S. forces supporting counternarcotics operations within the area.
On Friday, the Protection Division mentioned it’s sending USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest plane service at present within the Mediterranean, and its service air wing to the U.S. Southern Command space of duty to assist “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.”
Up to now, the administration’s boat strikes have killed at the least 43 folks, with the newest one happening in a single day. The U.S. navy struck a vessel allegedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua and killed six “narco-terrorists,” in line with Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The letter additionally seeks info on a Justice Division memo the White Home has cited as offering authorized backing for the strikes amid criticism they violate each U.S. and worldwide regulation.
“That opinion has not been provided to Congress, and neither the Department of Defense nor any other executive agency has provided information about its legal analysis,” they wrote.
“To the extent that IC personnel are assisting DOD activities in this space, they must do so knowing that they are supporting legally authorized operations. Accordingly, please tell us in writing whether IC attorneys have independently analyzed the legality of these strikes.”
