Name: Lawmakers react to video of U.S. strikes on alleged drug boat
Uploaded: 2025-12-05T01:41:07.872Z
Duration: 2 min 19 s
Description: Military officials showed lawmakers video of a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat behind closed doors on Capitol Hill and testified that there was no order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to kill everyone on board, multiple lawmakers said.

Military officials showed lawmakers video of a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat behind closed doors on Capitol Hill and testified that there was no order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to kill everyone on board, multiple lawmakers said.

Washington

Members of Congress viewed classified video footage of two U.S. military strikes on a suspected drug smuggling boat near Venezuela, including a second strike that killed two shipwreck survivors. The incident has led to scrutiny of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's involvement, though a Navy admiral clarified that Hegseth did not order the killings, contrary to media reports.

Lawmakers expressed differing views on whether the strikes violated rules of engagement, with some calling for open hearings and public release of the video. Separately, an inspector general's report criticized Hegseth for sharing sensitive military information over an unsecured personal device, prompting further calls for accountability.

Lawmakers react to video of U.S. strikes on alleged drug boat

On Capitol Hill today, members of Congress watched video of that controversial second military strike on a suspected drug boat near Venezuela. Lawmakers are scrutinizing the role of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the attack, which was ordered by a Navy admiral. Charlie Dagada has the update. Admiral Mitch Bradley arrived at the Capitol this morning and told lawmakers behind closed doors there was no order to kill them all from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as reported by The Washington Post. Lawmakers were shown both the video of the first strike on the suspected drug smuggling boat and a second, which has not been released to the public, that killed two shipwreck survivors. Democratic Congressman Jim Hines said that violated the Defense Department's rules of engagement. What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, who were killed by the United States. Republican Senator Tom Cotton saw something else. I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat, loaded with drugs, down for the United States, back over so they could stay in the fight. Senator Chris Coons revealed the boat was hit two more times. In a second strike, they were killed. And in a third and fourth strike, the boat was sunk. A decorated former Navy SEAL, Bradley made the call to hit the alleged drug boat with multiple strikes. And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat. Hegseth himself came under fire today with the release of an inspector general's report saying he put service members at risk last spring as they were about to launch airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen. The report stated Hegseth shared sensitive information of the military operation over an unapproved, unsecure network on his personal device, strictly prohibited by the Department of Defense. Democrats who viewed the video of the missile strikes on the alleged drug boat today called for Admiral Bradley to testify in an open hearing. No word from the Pentagon whether that will happen, or whether it will release the tape to the public.

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