Bipartisan senators demand Pentagon release orders on Caribbean ship strikes

Two bipartisan senators are demanding Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth hand over copies of orders issued to strike ships in the Caribbean allegedly carrying narcoterrorists.

Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released two letters they sent to Hegseth in recent weeks in response to repeated strikes on suspected drug boats.

The first letter, issued on September 23, explained the legal requirements for Congressional oversight of orders carried out by the military, including that congressional defense committees must receive copies of orders within 15 days of their issuance.

“Unfortunately, the department has not complied with this requirement,” the letter states.

HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY LEADS ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS

Two bipartisan senators are calling on Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to hand over copies of orders issued to strike ships in the Caribbean. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The second letter, issued October 6, seeks written advice from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on the domestic or international legal basis for the strikes and related operations.

Reports indicate that the OLC has produced a legal opinion justifying the strikes, called for by many lawmakers in recent weeks.

The senators’ letter also requested a comprehensive list “of all designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking organizations with which the President has determined that the United States is engaged in a non-international armed conflict and against which lethal military force may be used.”

“To date, these documents have not been submitted,” Reed’s office said in a press release Friday.

Lawmakers on both sides have urged the Trump administration to release information about the strikes.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the administration Thursday after excluding Democrats from briefings on the strikes, a move he called “indefensible and dangerous.”

SEN WARNER BLASTS TRUMP ADMIN TO EXCLUDE DEMOCRATS FROM BOAT STRIKE BRIEFINGS: “DEEPLY DISTURBING”

Senators Jack Reed and Roger Wicker sent two letters to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in response to repeated strikes on suspected drug boats. (Reuters)

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also wrote a letter Wednesday demanding a review of the legal justification for the series of boat strikes that they say appear to violate several laws.

“Drug trafficking is a terrible crime that has had devastating effects on American families and communities and must be prosecuted. Nonetheless, the President’s actions to hold suspected drug traffickers accountable must always comply with the law,” the letter said.

The strikes also drew attention from Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and potentially killing innocent people.

Paul cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

The senator also argued that if the administration plans to engage in war with Venezuela after targeting boats it says are carrying drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must request a declaration of war from Congress.

In the House, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., made similar statements.

Lawmakers on both sides have urged the Trump administration to release information about the strikes. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A report released Friday suggested the U.S. military was considering striking military installations in Venezuela, but President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that information was inaccurate.

This comes as Hegseth announced that the US military had struck another boat carrying suspected narcoterrorists on Wednesday. The strikes were carried out in the Eastern Pacific region at the direction of Trump, killing four men on board.

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This is the 14th strike against boats suspected of drug trafficking since September. A total of 61 people were reported killed while three survived, including at least two who were later repatriated to their home countries.

The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed or evidence that drugs were on board.