Ex‑ethics chiefs seek DOJ probe of OLC strike opinion
A bipartisan trio of former White House ethics lawyers—Norm Eisen, Richard Painter and Virginia Canter—asked the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility on Tuesday to investigate whether the Office of Legal Counsel violated professional duties in crafting a still‑classified opinion justifying U.S. lethal strikes on suspected drug‑running boats. Their request, citing a Nov. 12 Washington Post report, comes as congressional leaders are slated to be briefed on the strikes and legal rationale, and as Senate Judiciary Democrats Dick Durbin and Peter Welch seek access to DOJ’s legal analyses.
📌 Key Facts
- Request filed with DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility by Eisen, Painter and Canter on Tuesday
- Cites WaPo report that OLC opined strike participants would not face future prosecution
- U.S. has conducted 20+ maritime strikes since early September, killing 80+ people
- Administration claims a 'non‑international armed conflict' with cartel groups; legal experts dispute
- Senate Judiciary Democrats Durbin and Welch sent DOJ a letter seeking briefings and legal opinions
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, the United States recorded 105,007 drug overdose deaths, with an age-adjusted rate of 31.3 deaths per 100,000 population.
In 2023, age-adjusted drug overdose death rates per 100,000 population varied by race and ethnicity: non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native at 65.0 (0.9% of population), non-Hispanic Black at 48.9 (12% of population), non-Hispanic White at 33.1 (58% of population), Hispanic at 22.8 (19% of population), and non-Hispanic Asian at 5.1 (6% of population).
Racial and ethnic disparities in US drug overdose mortality rates are exacerbated by structural factors such as differential access to prescription opioids, mass incarceration disproportionately affecting Black and Native Americans, inequalities in access to treatment and harm reduction services, socioeconomic conditions, and geographic exposure to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Understanding and Addressing Widening Racial Inequalities in Drug Overdose — American Journal of Psychiatry