Lawyers with ties to former President Barack Obama are seeking to learn what legal justification President Donald Trump's administration had when it launched an airstrike on a Syrian air base last month.
According to Politico, Protect Democracy Project filed a motion with a federal judge Monday night that asked the government to comply with FOIA requests filed earlier this month.
The U.S. launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian air base after it was determined that the Syrian government was responsible for a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians.
Trump did not seek congressional approval before the attack, which critics have said was the wrong approach.
"Relief is necessary to avoid the irreparable harm that would occur if the military conflict escalates further while, at the same time, the American people and their elected representatives are denied the information they need to participate in democratic debate," attorneys Allison Murphy and Ben Berwick wrote in the motion, Politico notes.
Lawyers who worked in Obama's administration formed the nonprofit watchdog group after he left office earlier this year.
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