A significant political confrontation is unfolding in Washington as Democratic legislators formally request a criminal investigation into the Trump administration’s military operations in the Caribbean. Congressmen Ted Lieu and Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, have dispatched a detailed letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Department of Justice to examine lethal strikes against suspected narco-trafficking vessels as potential violations of both federal law and international warfare protocols.
The controversy centers on a September 2, 2025 incident where U.S. forces initially struck a small vessel in international waters near Venezuela, followed by a subsequent attack on two survivors clinging to wreckage. The lawmakers characterize the entire Caribbean operation as fundamentally unlawful, noting Congress never authorized military force against Venezuela and that a boat moving toward Suriname presented no clear danger to United States security.
Legal experts point to deliberate targeting of incapacitated individuals as a clear breach of the Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual, which explicitly prohibits attacks on persons rendered helpless by shipwreck. The legislators argue such conduct could constitute criminal liability under either the War Crimes Act or federal murder statutes, depending on the administration’s claimed legal framework.
The situation has escalated with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offering what critics describe as ‘shifting and contradictory’ explanations for the September incident, including references to the ‘fog of war’ and assertions that he neither delegated nor personally issued orders to target survivors. Legal scholars across the ideological spectrum, including conservative John Yoo—author of the controversial Office of Legal Counsel ‘torture memos’—have reportedly concluded the administration violated both federal law and the law of war.
Parallel concerns emerged from the Senate floor where Senator Peter Welch raised alarms about Trump’s mobilization of National Guard troops, warships, and fighter jets to the Caribbean. Welch urged congressional enforcement of the War Powers Act, warning that the military buildup appears aimed at regime change in Venezuela rather than legitimate drug interdiction efforts. The administration faces mounting pressure to provide transparency regarding attacks that have resulted in nearly 100 fatalities, with officials declining to release classified video evidence of the controversial strikes.