On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will not release the full, unedited video of the U.S. military’s Sept. 2 attack on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean, a strike that killed nine alleged narco-terrorists and two survivors, sparking accusations of war crimes.
Operation Details
The operation, carried out on Sept. 2, involved four separate strikes. The first strike killed nine “narco-terrorists,” severely damaged the vessel, and left two survivors adrift. The second strike, authorized by Admiral Frank Bradley, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, killed the two survivors. The third and fourth strikes sank the boat, which intelligence believed was carrying cocaine.
Pentagon’s Release Decision
Hegseth told reporters after briefing senators that, “In keeping with long-standing Department of War policy … Department of Defense policy, of course, we’re not going to release a top secret full unedited video of that to the general public,” but added that the full footage would be shown to all members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on Wednesday morning.
Congressional Reactions – Democrats
Democrats left the briefings frustrated that the Trump administration did not show the full video. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, “The administration came to this briefing empty-handed,” and added, “That’s the major question that we face. If they can’t be transparent on this, how can you trust their transparency on all the other issues swirling about in the Caribbean?”
Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) noted that officials cited “classification concerns” for withholding the footage, saying, “It is hard to square the widespread routine prompt posting of detailed videos of every strike with a concern that posting a portion of the video of the first strike would violate a variety of classification concerns.”
Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed discomfort after seeing the clip, stating, “The clip showed U.S. service members targeting survivors who posed no threat to the U.S.”
GOP Perspectives
Some Republicans argued that the video should be released. Senator Mark Wayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a staunch ally of President Trump, said, “There’s a lot of members that’s gonna walk out there and that’s gonna leak classified information and there’s gonna be certain ones that you hold accountable,” and added, “Not everybody can go through the same background checks that need to be to be cleared on this. Do you think [Rep. Ilhan] Omar [D-Minn.] needs all this information? I will say no.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called for release, telling reporters, “Release it. Make your own decisions. This is lawful.”
Senator Jon Housted (R-Ohio) said, “Every member of Congress should see the video and that I would like it to be released to the public, if appropriate.”
Legal and Briefing Context
Earlier this month, Admiral Bradley, alongside Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, briefed members on the operation. Bradley’s team, including a legal counsel, will accompany the admiral during Wednesday’s briefings with both House and Senate Armed Services panels, a GOP congressional aide told The Hill. It is unclear if the legal counsel will be the same one as the judge advocate general who advised Bradley when the Sept. 2 strikes took place.
Hegseth has routinely shared clips of deadly boat strikes within hours of the operation, with some parts of the video typically blurred to protect certain information.
Future Legislative Moves
After the Tuesday briefing, Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who has been critical of the military’s drug-boat strikes, said he will ask for unanimous consent later this week to pass a bill requiring the administration to release the video to Congress and make it public. He stated, “I found the legal explanations and the strategic explanations incoherent, but I think the American people should see this video. And all members of Congress should have that opportunity. I certainly want it for myself.”
Key Takeaways
- The Pentagon will not release the full, unedited video to the public but will show it to armed services committees.
- Democrats demand transparency, citing classification concerns and war-crime allegations.
- GOP lawmakers are divided, with some supporting release and others citing security risks.
The debate underscores the tension between national security and congressional oversight over U.S. military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
