By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democratic-senators-ask-trump-administration-to-provide-legal-basis-for-venezuela-strikes Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Democratic senators ask Trump administration to provide legal basis for Venezuela strikes Politics Nov 24, 2025 5:48 PM EST A group of mostly Democratic senators is urging Attorney General Pam Bondi and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to declassify and release the legal opinion underpinning the Trump administration’s airstrikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. READ MORE: All the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats The U.S. military has carried out lethal strikes on alleged drug smugglers, which President Donald Trump has defended as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. “Few decisions are more consequential for a democracy than the use of lethal force. We therefore believe that the declassification and public release of this important document would enhance transparency,” the senators wrote. READ MORE: U.S. set to label Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles as a terror organization. It’s not a cartel per se Among the lawmakers who signed the letter were Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, as well as Independent Sen. Angus King. Trump recently accused Slotkin and Kelly of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after they appeared in a video with other lawmakers urging troops to defy “illegal orders.” A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
A group of mostly Democratic senators is urging Attorney General Pam Bondi and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to declassify and release the legal opinion underpinning the Trump administration’s airstrikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. READ MORE: All the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats The U.S. military has carried out lethal strikes on alleged drug smugglers, which President Donald Trump has defended as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. “Few decisions are more consequential for a democracy than the use of lethal force. We therefore believe that the declassification and public release of this important document would enhance transparency,” the senators wrote. READ MORE: U.S. set to label Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles as a terror organization. It’s not a cartel per se Among the lawmakers who signed the letter were Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, as well as Independent Sen. Angus King. Trump recently accused Slotkin and Kelly of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after they appeared in a video with other lawmakers urging troops to defy “illegal orders.” A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now