The latest briefing, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete HegsethUS military attacks The crackdown against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific did not ease the concerns of some Democrats present, who are demanding more information about the operations that have killed more than 60 people.
The “Gang of 12” participated in a classified briefing in the Senate on Wednesday, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), as well as top lawmakers from the armed services and intelligence committees in both houses. But that did not allay the concerns of Democrats who are seeking additional documents and information about the attacks.
“What we heard is not enough. We need more answers,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said after the briefing. He said the entire Senate should get an answer.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) reiterated his demand for more information at a press conference, but when pressed about what details were left out, he declined to elaborate.
Instead, he went after GOP leaders for keeping the House out of session during the government shutdown, eliminating the possibility of a briefing for the entire Congress.
Jefferies told reporters, “We need a full congressional briefing. One of the reasons we haven’t had a briefing is because Mike Johnson and the House Republicans have literally been on taxpayer-funded vacations for the last six weeks.”
Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the administration has “fully advised” him and other members on the attacks, adding that he is “completely satisfied” with the White House’s actions.
“They have good legal justification for what they’re doing. The president should really be congratulated for saving the lives of young American people. He should be thanked by many parents who may not even know they don’t have to bury children prematurely. They’re doing a good job. They’re doing it legally, and I encourage them to continue doing it,” Risch, who also sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told reporters.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told The Hill on Wednesday that the administration “will continue to be forthcoming with The Hill about the President’s efforts to crack down on the cartels and stop the illegal trafficking of drugs into our homeland, as he promised during the campaign,” adding that today was the administration’s 13th bipartisan briefing since the strike began.
A senior administration official told The Hill on condition of anonymity that Rubio, Hegseth and other officials accompanying them stayed in the room for more than 20 minutes after the briefing ended, answering every question.
“There were no outstanding questions by the time the briefing was over,” the official said.
There have been at least 16 attacks since the campaign began in early September, killing at least 66 people.latest happened When U.S. forces attacked an alleged drug-trafficking ship in the eastern Pacific on Tuesday, two “narco-terrorists” were killed, according to Hegseth.
Trump said Wednesday that the number of illegal drugs coming into the U.S. has dropped “significantly” and that the decline is particularly pronounced for drugs smuggled in by sea.
“People are saying, ‘No thank you, I don’t think I want to ride in that boat, please,'” the president said in Florida.
These attacks have shocked Democrats and some Republicans.
Last week, lawmakers on the House Armed Services CommitteeReceived a classified briefing on operations, but they came away dissatisfied with the answers, including the legal reasoning the White House is relying on and the way the administration is determining who to target at sea.
Earlier this week, the White House said no need to ask For congressional authority to continue the strikes because the operations do not rise to the level of “hostilities” that would require it and do not harm U.S. service members because the strikes are “largely conducted by unmanned aerial vehicles launched from naval ships in international waters.”
After the briefing on Wednesday, Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he did not agree with the legal opinion the administration was citing in conducting the strike and advocated a hearing on the conduct.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, argued that the administration should publicly present evidence that the boats are loaded with drugs and operated by “bad guys.”
“The perception that these are carrying drugs and are full of bad people on kinetic strikes without actually stopping and demonstrating to the American public is a huge mistake and undermines confidence in the administration’s actions,” Warner told reporters.
Warner said the legal opinion had been reviewed by the full Senate and did not mention Venezuela. The White House has stepped up pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom administration officials have described as an “illegitimate leader.”
Trump indicated during his interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that Maduro’s days were numbered and the Pentagonhuge military presence The US Southern Command is sending warships, fighter jets, spy planes and at least one submarine to the area.
Warner said the previous administration did not go far enough in opposing Maduro, who was re-elected president last year despite allegations of electoral fraud.
“I clearly think the Biden administration didn’t go far enough after the Venezuelan people voted overwhelmingly to get rid of them,” he said.
Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he still had questions about the “exact structure,” but said lawmakers have received a general explanation of the process for how targets are selected.
“What happens when there’s someone around who may be innocent? These are things that DoD is used to thinking about, and we still haven’t gotten to that level of detail. So again, I’m not too concerned that they’re taking fishing boats, because our intelligence community is very, very good, but I don’t believe we know exactly who are in those boats and why they’re there,” Himes told reporters after the briefing. Said. “Are they American people, etc. So that’s a level of our loyalty.”
Asked whether officials indicated during the briefing that the attacks would continue, Himes said they “certainly did not tell us they were going to stop.”
