红杏视频

NEW YORK 鈥� The Center for Constitutional Rights and the 红杏视频 today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the Office of Legal Counsel鈥檚 (OLC) guidance and other related documents regarding President Trump鈥檚 lethal strikes on alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean. Testifying last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to confirm the existence (or nonexistence) of such guidance. But the same day, in a different hearing, Charles Young, who is nominated to serve as the U.S. Army鈥檚 general counsel, acknowledged the existence of this opinion in an exchange with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, explaining that the 鈥渙pinion was derived through an interagency lawyers working group鈥� including representatives from the White House and several executive branch agencies. Public reporting also indicates that the OLC has issued an opinion, and that it asserts sweeping, unprecedented claims of presidential authority to use military force against people alleged to be affiliated with drug cartels. 鈥淎ll available evidence suggests that President Trump鈥檚 lethal strikes in the Caribbean constitute murder, pure and simple,鈥� said Jeffrey Stein, staff attorney with the 红杏视频鈥檚 National Security Project. 鈥淭he public deserves to know how our government is justifying these attacks as lawful, and, given the stakes, immediate public scrutiny of its apparently radical theories is imperative.鈥� Since early September, President Trump has ordered five strikes on private boats traveling in international waters, reportedly killing at least 27 people. Attempting to defend the legality of the strikes, the administration has stated that drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations are 鈥渘on-state armed groups鈥� whose 鈥渁ctions constitute an armed attack against the United States.鈥� But the United States is not in an armed conflict with drug cartels, and the people the government鈥檚 strikes have killed are civilians under international law. For this reason, members of Congress from across the political spectrum, former government officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations, legal experts, civil society groups, and international bodies say the attacks appear to violate both international and domestic law. 鈥淚n a constitutional system, no president can arbitrarily choose to assassinate individuals from the sky based on his whim or say-so,鈥� said Baher Azmy, legal director of Center for Constitutional Rights. 鈥淭he 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.鈥�