Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has strongly criticized the Trump administration for excluding Democratic lawmakers from briefings on recent U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. Warner described the decision to withhold the briefing and the legal justification for the strikes from half the Senate as ‘indefensible and dangerous,’ arguing that military decisions should not be treated as partisan tools.
Warner emphasized that Congress has a constitutional duty to oversee matters of war and peace, and the exclusion of Democrats from these briefings undermines national security. He called the approach a ‘partisan stunt’ that violates the war powers of Congress and sets a ‘reckless and deeply troubling precedent.’
The administration had previously agreed in a face-to-face meeting to provide the legal justification for these strikes to Democrats, but the move to withhold the information has sparked strong criticism. Warner demanded that the administration fulfill its constitutional obligations and treat military actions with the necessary seriousness.
The Pentagon responded by stating that the appropriate committees, including the Senate Intelligence Committee, were briefed on the strikes, which have occurred on a bipartisan basis. However, the disagreement highlights growing tensions over the use of military force and the extent of executive authority in such matters.
Meanwhile, other Democratic senators have also raised concerns, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who have written a letter demanding legal justification for the strikes. The controversy comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the, Trump administration’s actions and broader debates over the legality and justification of military interventions.