New lawsuit presses Pentagon, State Dept to disclose legal justification for Venezuelan boat strikes

Democratic lawmakers cry ‘war crimes’ after U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., reacts to Democrats’ criticism of the Trump administration after strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit seeking the immediate release of a memo providing the legal justification for U.S. military strikes on drug boats, Fox News has learned.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The Department of Justice, including its Office of Legal Counsel, Department of State and the Department of Defense, which was recently renamed the Department of War, are listed as defendants.

In the lawsuit, the ACLU, which noted the action was being taken under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), said it was "seeking the immediate release of a legal opinion authored by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), a component of the Department of Justice (DOJ), concerning the U.S. military’s claimed authority to carry out lethal strikes on civilians in boats that the U.S. government asserts are carrying drugs."

The ACLU argued that the release of the information was "critically important to ensuring informed public debate about the U.S. military’s unprecedented strikes," which it says were carried out "in clear violation of domestic and international law."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.