As the Trump administration blows past a key congressional deadline, a top lawyer in the Department of Justice has claimed that the executive branch does not need the approval of Congress to continue conducting boat strikes in and around the Caribbean — an assertion outside experts say is patently false.

Last week, Office of Legal Counsel T. Elliot Gaiser told a small group of members of Congress that the administration does not have to follow the 1973 War Powers Resolution and its mandate that Congress must approve of armed conflict conducted by the U.S.

The briefing was made just before the end of the 60-day deadline established by the legislation. The legislation requires the president to acquire approval for sustained military action within 60 days of an initial notification of act

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