Trump administration won’t show all US lawmakers video of Venezuelan boat strike

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says a group of U.S. lawmakers will see the full, never-before-seen video of a controversial September boat strike in the Caribbean.

Hegseth told reporters after a classified briefing for senators Tuesday that the relevant congressional committees would be allowed to see it, but not the general public.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended the briefing on the Trump administration’s airstrikes against suspected Venezuelan drug boats and other military actions in the Caribbean.

After the briefing, most Republicans said they wanted the White House to continue its efforts, while Democrats raised questions about the legality of the strikes that left at least 90 people dead.

Just hours before the Capitol briefing, the U.S. military announced it had carried out strikes on three ships in the Pacific Ocean, killing eight people.

Hegseth said that on Wednesday, members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees would see previously unreleased video of the Sept. 2 strikes. He added that it would be shared with “appropriate” committees, but did not say whether all lawmakers would be allowed to review it.

“Consistent with long-standing War Department policy – ​​Department of Defense policy – ​​of course we are not going to release a top secret, complete, unedited video to the general public,” Hegseth said.

A defense spending bill passed by the House of Representatives last week would require the Pentagon to provide the Armed Services committees with comprehensive, never-before-seen videos of strikes against designated terrorist organizations in the so-called Southern Command, the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Senate is currently considering the bill.

Since the series of attacks began in September, the Defense Department has announced on social media that it has carried out what it considers to be an attack on terrorists who were trying to smuggle deadly, illegal drugs — primarily fentanyl — into the United States by boat. The messages often include grainy video clips, but no evidence of the alleged drug trafficking and few details about who or what was on board each vessel.

Rubio told reporters Tuesday that he and Hegseth offered updates to lawmakers on the “anti-drug mission” of “killing Americans, poisoning them.”

“This has been a very successful mission that continues,” the top US diplomat said, adding that he would also brief lawmakers in the House of Representatives later in the day.

After reports surfaced earlier this month that two survivors of the initial Sept. 2 attack were still clinging to the burning boat when they were killed by a second strike, lawmakers from both parties demanded answers from the administration.

The defense official in charge of the mission went to the Capitol to provide more details about what happened and to clarify that Hegseth had not given the order, as was then reported, to “kill them all.”

Many Democrats, however, said they were troubled by what they learned and called for further investigation, while some said the full video should be made public.

Frustration over not showing the Sept. 2 video to all lawmakers was expressed by members of both parties.

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said it was important for members to see it so they could determine whether the operation was legal. He also suggested that a transcription of the video might be helpful in better understanding the “decision-making process.”

The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said Tuesday that “if they can’t be transparent on this, how can we trust their transparency on other issues.”

California Sen. Adam Schiff, also a Democrat, said he would ask the Senate to unanimously release video of the boat strike to Congress as a whole.

News reports in December about a possible second strike raised new legal questions about the legality of attacks on boats in international waters.

U.S. Navy Adm. Frank Bradley, who told Congress earlier this month that he ordered the second strike, will also brief the Armed Services committees on Wednesday.

While President Donald Trump initially said he had no problem releasing footage of the Sept. 2 attack, he now says the decision is Hegseth’s.

The repeated attacks have also caused dismay among Venezuelans.

President Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of stoking tensions in the region in a bid to overthrow the government.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab told the BBC that Trump’s allegations stemmed from a “great envy” for the country’s natural resources.

But for some Republicans on Capitol Hill, overthrowing the government could be a net positive result of the strikes.

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said the White House is committed to doing “whatever it takes” to prevent drugs from entering the United States.

“[Maduro] I should be in jail, or get the hell out of Venezuela,” Scott said.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, another Republican, went further.

“All indications are that President Trump aims to bring down the Maduro regime and replace it with something less threatening to the United States,” he said.

“We blew up 25 boats for what purpose? Why are we killing all these people? To protect America. And if Maduro is who they say he is. And I believe them, he has to go.”