DOJ memo argues Trump acted under sole constitutional authority in Maduro capture
A classified Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel memo argues that President Trump acted within his sole constitutional authority as commander-in-chief when ordering the Maduro operation and was not constrained by domestic law or international law, basing its rationale on a 1989 Barr memo and saying the action did not require congressional authorization. The memo notes proportionality for a law-enforcement objective, did not definitively address international law, and was released in unclassified form amid partisan debate over whether the move constituted legitimate enforcement of US law or an act of war.