18 June 2011
Last updated at 04:28 ET
Critics argue US involvement in the Libya campaign violates a Vietnam War-era law limiting military action
Barack Obama overruled the advice of administration lawyers in deciding the US could continue participating in the Libya conflict without congressional approval, The New York Times reports.
The White House insists the president did not need congressional approval to authorise US support for Nato’s mission, because the military campaign is limited in scope.
Critics argue the action violates a Vietnam War-era law limiting military action without congressional approval to 60 days.
The newspaper report said Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and acting head of the justice department’s Office of Legal Counsel Caroline Krass had advised Mr Obama that the US involvement in the Libya air campaign constituted “hostilities”.
But the US president opted to follow the advice of White House counsel Robert Bauer and state department legal adviser Harold Koh, who argued the US involvement fell short of “hostilities”, the paper said.
US presidents can override
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