Senate Democrats Demand Public Release of Legal Opinion on U.S. Military Strikes Against Drug Traffickers

Senate Democrats are pushing War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi to declassify and release a Justice Department legal opinion that outlines the Trump administration’s authority to strike suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. In a letter sent Monday, 13 Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee demanded the “expeditious declassification and public release” of the Office of Legal Counsel memo, drafted over the summer, which reportedly argues that U.S. forces involved in the maritime strikes cannot be prosecuted. The operations have taken place on both sides of South America and are aimed at what the administration calls “narco-terrorists.” “Few decisions are more consequential for a democracy than the use of lethal force,” the senators wrote. They argued the opinion should be made public to “enhance transparency” and ensure Congress is fully briefed on the legal basis for the mission. The request comes as Democrats raise concerns about the strikes, which began in early September and have prompted questions about whether U.S. service members could face legal exposure. To date, the military has carried out 21 strikes, killing at least 83 suspected traffickers, according to administration figures. Democrats noted the DOJ has previously released OLC opinions on military actions abroad, citing public disclosures following U.S. strikes in Libya in 2011 and Syria in 2018. Meanwhile, the White House remains firmly supportive of the campaign. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that President Donald Trump is “satisfied” with the results and signaled the mission will continue. “You can expect to see those strikes continue,” she told reporters. The maritime strikes come as the administration has surged forces into the U.S. Southern Command’s region amid heightened tensions with Venezuela. The deployment includes warships, F-35s, Marines, at least one submarine, and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. U.S. aircraft — including a B-52 bomber, multiple F/A-18 Hornets, and E-2D Hawkeyes — were tracked operating off Venezuela’s coast Monday evening. The administration has called Nicolás Maduro an “illegitimate leader,” and while Trump has weighed possible strikes inside Venezuela, officials haven’t ruled out future talks with the regime. Leavitt underscored the administration’s stance: “We view the Maduro regime as illegitimate, and the president has been very satisfied with the successful strikes against narcoterrorists and foreign terrorists illegally trafficking drugs toward the United States.”