White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles stated in a Vanity Fair interview, reported in the past 30 minutes, that the Trump administration does not require congressional approval for military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, but would need it for attacks on Venezuela’s mainland. Wiles' comments, shared via an X post by FaytuksNetwork during the 1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. UTC window on December 16, 2025, follow closed-door Senate and House briefings this morning with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the same strikes, according to C-SPAN. The briefings addressed recent U.S. military actions targeting drug boats in the Caribbean, with lawmakers potentially speaking to the press afterward, as reported earlier today. Separately, the creator of a viral video depicting a conversation between Captain Yonaiker and the USS Jason Dunham destroyer clarified in an X post during this period that it was a parody, not real footage.
