Pentagon officials said Tuesday they would not release an unedited video of a U.S. military strike that killed two survivors of a drug-smuggling boat, prompting a flurry of questions in Congress.
Pentagon’s Decision
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters after a closed-door briefing that the Pentagon would not publicly release the full, unedited footage of the September 2 attack that claimed the lives of two survivors who had climbed onto a partially destroyed boat. He added, “Of course we’re not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public.”
Hegseth also said that members of the Armed Services Committee in the House and Senate would have an opportunity this week to review the attack video, but he did not confirm whether all members of Congress would be allowed to see it.
Congressional Backlash
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized Hegseth for arriving “empty handed” to the briefing, noting that the Secretary had not pledged a broader release of the September 2 strike footage. “If they can’t be transparent on this, how can you trust their transparency on all the other issues swirling about in the Caribbean?” Schumer said.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham defended the campaign’s legality and expressed a desire to see President Nicolás Maduro removed from power. He stated, “I want to address the question, is it the goal to take him out? If it’s not the goal to take him out, you’re making a mistake.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the strike “certainly appropriate” and “necessary to protect the United States and our interests.”
Trump’s Escalation of the Venezuelan Blockade
Late Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering Venezuela, a country that has long depended on oil revenue. Maduro, on a weekly state television show Monday, said his government still did not know the whereabouts of the tanker’s crew and criticized the United Nations for not condemning what he described as an “act of piracy” against a private ship carrying Venezuelan oil.
The U.S. has deployed warships, flown fighter jets near Venezuelan airspace, and seized an oil tanker as part of its campaign against Maduro, who insists the purpose is to force him from office.
The Counter-Drug Campaign
Trump’s Cabinet members defended a campaign that has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes on vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The campaign is portrayed as a “counter-drug mission” that “focuses on dismantling the infrastructure of these terrorist organizations that are operating in our hemisphere, undermining the security of Americans, killing Americans, poisoning Americans,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters.
On the eve of the briefings, the U.S. military said it attacked three more boats believed to have been smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing eight people.
Legal and Ethical Concerns
John Yoo, a Berkeley Law professor who helped craft the George W. Bush administration’s legal arguments for aggressive interrogation after the September 11 attacks, warned that if the operation is not a war against Venezuela, it constitutes using armed force against civilians who are merely committing crimes. He stated, “If it’s not a war against Venezuela, then we’re using armed force against civilians who are just committing crimes.”
Senator Rand Paul criticized the campaign, saying, “The American public ought to see it. I think shooting unarmed people floundering in the water, clinging to wreckage, is not who we are as a people.”
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren explained that the administration would not release all of the September 2 footage because it would reveal U.S. military practices on intelligence gathering. She added, “They just don’t want to reveal the part that suggests war crimes.”
Hegseth’s Budget Threat
Hegseth faces language in an annual military policy bill that could withhold a quarter of his travel budget if the Pentagon does not provide unedited video of the strikes to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who ordered the second strike, was expected to return to Capitol Hill for classified briefings with the Senate and House Armed Services committees, where the committees would also review the September 2 strike video.
Key Takeaways
- Pentagon will not publicly release unedited footage of the September 2 drug-strike.
- Congress demands transparency amid a broader U.S. military buildup near Venezuela.
- President Trump has imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers, intensifying pressure on Maduro.
The clash between the administration’s counter-drug campaign and congressional scrutiny underscores the growing debate over the legality and ethics of U.S. military actions in international waters.
