🇺🇸 The President may authorize the operation under:
— Commander-in-Chief authority.
— Power to protect national security.
— Authority to enforce U.S. criminal law abroad.
📝The memo relies heavily on historical precedents where Presidents used force without congressional authorization.

Operation Absolute Resolve does not trigger Congress’s war powers:
❌ No need for advance congressional authorization
❌ No declaration of war
❌ No violation of the War Powers Resolution
✅ President can act unilaterally under Article II

📝Operation Absolute Resolve does not rise to the level of “war” requiring prior congressional approval.

Three national interests that justify unilateral action here:
— Protecting U.S. national security
— Enforcing federal criminal law
— Protecting U.S. personnel conducting lawful missions

The DOJ's key points:
— The mission is capture-only
— Killing Maduro would fundamentally change the legal analysis
— Use of force must be incidental, not the objective
📝The operation must be designed to seize Maduro alive.

🪖 Military assistance is lawful if law enforcement retains the arrest purpose.