Trump officials push claim that US in ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels

Administration attempts to justify strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats by claiming US under armed attack'

The Trump administration is trying to justify strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats by advancing a novel legal theory that the US is now in a non-international armed conflict", according to a person familiar with a notification to Congress.

The notification was provided by senior Pentagon officials as part of an attempt to explain the Trump administration's legal arguments for the strikes, including a classified briefing to members of the Senate armed services committee on Wednesday.