The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel reportedly found that the U.S. troops involved in the lethal targeting of alleged drug smuggling vessels would not be exposed to future prosecution.
The decision by the administration to seek the legal opinion in July, as reported by the Washington Post, underscores concerns some had about the legality of the strikes before they got underway.
The Department of War declined to comment to the Washington Examiner, though Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated the administration’s stance on Wednesday that it has “all the authorities necessary” to carry out these strikes.
“We got lawyers on lawyers, all the authorities necessary to do so, treating these terrorists like the al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere,” Hegseth said at a defense industry event in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
U.S. forces have conducted roughly 20 strikes on boats since early September, killing about 75 people. The administration has not shared proof that there were drugs aboard any of these vessels.
Adm. Alvin Holsey, the head of U.S. Southern Command, which is the combatant command that covers the Caribbean and South America, is overseeing these strikes. He announced his intention to retire next month and will ultimately serve only about one year of a three-year term.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has previously denied that Holsey’s abrupt retirement announcement was indicative of his feelings about the broader counter-narcotic strategy.
“This is a total lie. Never happened,” Parnell said in October. “There was no hesitation or concerns about this mission. Just more Fake News.”
The administration has told Congress the United States is in an “armed conflict” with “narcoterrorists,” using those as justifications for the lethal engagements.
Hegseth also acknowledged on Wednesday, “We’re seeing in real time that they’re changing their methods and we’ll adapt, as they change those methods.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was deployed from Europe to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility last month, and the Navy announced its arrival to the region on Tuesday. Subsequently, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said it would bring “the entire country’s military arsenal on full operational readiness.”
The addition of the Ford carrier group brings the total number of U.S. troops in the greater Caribbean area to nearly 15,000. It’s the largest buildup of U.S. forces in the region in decades.
Allies have expressed concern about the legalities of the strikes.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that he had ordered the country to stop sharing intelligence with the U.S. regarding the strikes. Earlier in the day, CNN reported that the United Kingdom had done the same.
“It is our long-standing policy to not comment on intelligence matters,” a U.K. government spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “The U.S. is our closest ally on security and intelligence. We continue to work together to uphold global peace and security, defend freedom of navigation, and respond to emerging threats.”
HERE ARE THE DETAILS OF THE US STRIKES TARGETING ALLEGED DRUG VESSELS
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Wednesday, “We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside.”
There is speculation that the U.S. could eventually carry out strikes inside Venezuela, possibly targeting the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, though doing so would be considered a significant escalation. The Trump administration views Maduro as an illegitimate leader and has accused him of being the leader of a drug cartel.
