FOIA Request Filed for Legal Justification of trump Administration’s Caribbean Strikes
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights have filed a freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking documents from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) detailing the legal basis for President Trump‘s recent lethal strikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean. This action comes after confirmation from a nominee for U.S. Army General Counsel that the OLC has issued an opinion asserting broad presidential authority too use military force against individuals linked to drug cartels.
Attorney General Pam Bondi recently declined to confirm the existence of such guidance during Senate testimony. However, Charles Young, nominated to serve as the U.S. Army’s general counsel, acknowledged the opinion’s existence, stating it was developed by an interagency legal working group. Reports indicate the OLC opinion claims unprecedented authority for the President in this matter.
The groups argue the public has a right to understand the justification for these strikes, which have reportedly resulted in at least 27 deaths following five attacks on private boats in international waters since early September.
“All available evidence suggests that President Trump’s lethal strikes in the caribbean constitute murder, pure and simple,” stated Jeffrey stein, staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project. “The public deserves to know how our goverment is justifying these attacks as lawful,and,given the stakes,immediate public scrutiny of its apparently radical theories is imperative.”
The Trump administration has attempted to legitimize the strikes by claiming that designated drug cartels, labeled as terrorist organizations, are “non-state armed groups” whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. However, critics point out the U.S.is not currently engaged in an armed conflict with these cartels, and those killed are considered civilians under international law.
“In a constitutional system, no president can arbitrarily choose to assassinate individuals from the sky based on his whim or say-so,” added Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “The Trump administration is taking its indiscriminate pattern of lawlessness to a lethal level. the public understanding of any rationale supporting such unprecedented and shocking conduct is essential for transparency and accountability.”
The FOIA request seeks to shed light on the legal reasoning behind the strikes, which are facing widespread criticism from members of Congress, former government officials, legal experts, civil society groups, and international bodies as potential violations of both international and domestic law.
