Is Vance playing dumb?

 Or just keeping his ass covered?

Because I'm pretty sure he knows what "legal authority" means.

Let me guess - the reporter didn't follow up.

UPDATE 09/06/2025:

UPDATE 09/12/2025:

<

The administration says these were drug cartel members who posed a threat to the United States, but many legal experts have concluded the bombing might have been illegal or a war crime. And this saga just got darker. Senator Tim Kaine and two dozen other Democrats just released a powerful letter laying out tough questions for the administration, demonstrating the weakness of Trump’s legal case in a freshly vivid way. And a Senate staffer tells us Kaine reached out to numerous Republicans in hopes of getting them to sign the letter, but damningly, none would. Meanwhile, new reporting indicates that the boat might have been turning around before getting hit, making Trump’s decision look even worse. And a senior Venezuelan official now says the 11 dead weren’t even Tren de Aragua.

  New Republic

I don't think that surprises anyone.