Overview

• Three sources told The Guardian that Miller led targeting and operational decisions for the boat strikes, at times eclipsing Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio.
• Targeting information was tightly held by Miller’s team, with deputy Tony Salisbury acting as a gatekeeper and some senior officials learning of a Sept. 15 strike only hours before it occurred.
• A White House spokesperson said the operations were directed by President Trump, while legal approvals were reportedly cleared by Pentagon general counsel Earl Matthews, the Justice Department, and the White House counsel’s office.
• The administration cites Article II authority tied to its designation of Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, a justification legal experts have questioned due to the lack of publicly presented evidence.
• The administration has said an airstrike on Sept. 2 killed 11 people on a Venezuelan speedboat and another two weeks later killed three, as the U.S. also deployed the Iwo Jima amphibious ready group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to the region.