The Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 87 people. Experts say the strikes could be an illegal use of force, and that some of the actions the military has taken may be war crimes. Early this month, we filed suit against the Justice and Defense departments because they have not responded to FOIA requests for the legal justifications for these strikes, or potential disagreements within agencies about how they are being carried out.
This week, after there were new reports that U.S. Navy personnel were told to delete photos and videos of two survivors of a recent strike site in the Caribbean, we demanded immediate action to recover any records that were destroyed, preserve all remaining documents, and prevent the further destruction of evidence.
We sent a letter demanding the National Archives, the Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth take immediate action to determine whether unlawful destruction or removal occurred, and if so, to recover those records and to prevent any further removal or destruction. The deletions undermine the public’s ability to understand what happened in the aftermath of the strike.
The refusal to provide the public with evidence for its actions, combined with reports that officials are deleting videos, is deeply troubling.
“If the Pentagon ordered the deletion of footage from its seventh deadly boat strike, as reported, it raises serious questions about what the administration was trying to keep out of view and whether critical evidence was deliberately destroyed,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “Footage from this operation would have revealed how authority was exercised and on what basis. Its destruction doesn’t just frustrate oversight; it erases the evidence Congress and the public need to determine whether this strike was lawful.”
Big law firms promise Trump nearly $1 billion in pro bono legal work
Those aren’t the only records the Trump administration is fighting to keep hidden. This week, we sued the departments of Commerce and Justice for failing to release documents related to the administration’s pro bono arrangements with nine major law firms. The arrangements could violate multiple federal laws surrounding bribery, extortion, fraud, and racketeering.
This spring, Trump issued multiple executive orders targeting major law firms that he believes supported efforts to hold him accountable during and after his first term. The firms entered into agreements to provide pro bono legal assistance for the administration, if the government provided assurances that it would not investigate the firms or restrict their access to federal buildings.
“When elite law firms decide it’s safer to appease political power than uphold the rule of law, the public deserves to know what was traded away,” Chukwu said. “These records must be released so the public can see what was promised, what was surrendered, and whether those institutions lived up to the responsibilities they claim to uphold.”
On the records
Prominent 2020 election denier now leading FEMA disaster response
Gregg Phillips, a leading election denier and conspiracy theorist involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, will now oversee disaster response efforts at FEMA. Phillips has no experience managing emergencies and has described himself as “a very vocal opponent of FEMA.”
We previously obtained records that shed light on Phillips’ role in the 2020 election denial movement, including about his efforts to find non-existent voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election. We also uncovered records that highlight Phillips’ ties to the “constitutional sheriffs” movement, which is led by election deniers and encourages sheriffs to monitor elections in efforts to further undermine faith in the security of voting.
American Oversight in the news
Trump administration sued for records of law firm deals (Reuters)
Iowa will help Homeland Security obtain driver’s license records (Des Moines Register)
U.S. military strikes another suspected drug boat as investigation into first strike begins (Boston Globe)
Other stories we’re following
Pentagon did not conduct routine investigation on whether Hegseth damaged national security by sharing strike plans on Signal (CNN)
A grand jury again declines to reindict Letitia James (New York Times)
Epstein survivors and Senate Democrats ask for audit to determine if Epstein files have been "tampered with" (CBS News)
Republicans in Congress eye more power for states to remove voters (Stateline)
FBI struggles to answer questions about antifa designation as domestic terror group (The Hill)
