Venezuela Boat Strikes Legal Basis

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.