Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to confirm whether the Pentagon will release video of a second missile strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, which killed two survivors of an initial strike. When asked about releasing the footage during a Q&A session at a defense forum in California, Hegseth said they were "reviewing the process" and would see what to do next.
The Pentagon has faced criticism for its handling of the incident, with some questioning whether the second strike may have constituted a war crime. Eleven people were killed in the September 2 missile attack on the alleged drug boat, which was targeted by US forces off Latin America's coastal waters.
Hegseth had earlier stated that Navy Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who led the September 2 mission, ordered the second strike. However, when questioned about this claim, Hegseth reiterated it and said that Bradley had acted within his authority.
Congressional lawmakers were shown video of the second strike on Thursday and briefed on the incident by Bradley and General Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They claimed that Bradley told them he was not ordered to leave no survivors.
However, Hegseth has vehemently denied that he gave a verbal order for everyone on the boat to be killed. He described such an order as "patently ridiculous" and said the reporting was meant to create a cartoon of him and his decisions.
Despite this, some legal experts have questioned whether the second strike may have been a war crime. The incident has raised concerns about the Trump administration's handling of alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
The Pentagon has so far released unclassified video of the strikes, which has provided little evidence that the vessels were trafficking drugs. The Trump administration has supported releasing all footage of the September 2 strikes, but Hegseth was noncommittal on Saturday about whether this would happen.
The Pentagon has faced criticism for its handling of the incident, with some questioning whether the second strike may have constituted a war crime. Eleven people were killed in the September 2 missile attack on the alleged drug boat, which was targeted by US forces off Latin America's coastal waters.
Hegseth had earlier stated that Navy Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who led the September 2 mission, ordered the second strike. However, when questioned about this claim, Hegseth reiterated it and said that Bradley had acted within his authority.
Congressional lawmakers were shown video of the second strike on Thursday and briefed on the incident by Bradley and General Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They claimed that Bradley told them he was not ordered to leave no survivors.
However, Hegseth has vehemently denied that he gave a verbal order for everyone on the boat to be killed. He described such an order as "patently ridiculous" and said the reporting was meant to create a cartoon of him and his decisions.
Despite this, some legal experts have questioned whether the second strike may have been a war crime. The incident has raised concerns about the Trump administration's handling of alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
The Pentagon has so far released unclassified video of the strikes, which has provided little evidence that the vessels were trafficking drugs. The Trump administration has supported releasing all footage of the September 2 strikes, but Hegseth was noncommittal on Saturday about whether this would happen.
. On one hand, it's sickening that two people lost their lives in the second strike. It feels like a lot of unnecessary aggression going on. At the same time, I get why some ppl are questioning whether it was a war crime or not - we don't know all the details and the official narrative seems a bit sketchy.
. I hope whoever is reviewing this footage will take their time and really consider what's best, rather than just pushing for release. We need to be careful here because it could have serious consequences.
. I mean, they're bein' super secretive about the whole thing, and now Defense Sec Pete is like "we're reviewin' the process" 
. Like, what does that even mean? Is he tryin' to hide somethin'? And those 11 people who got killed... 
I don't think it's right that we're still gettin' no solid answers about what happened. And now some legal experts are sayin' it might've been a war crime 
? That's some serious stuff. Can't they just release the footage and let us know what really went down? It's like they're tryin' to cover somethin' up... 
the vids they released didnt show much, like, wat else can they release? some people say its war crimes but idk man... u would think the gov would wanna hide that kinda thing, right? 
. meanwhile, legal experts are going off on whether or not this second strike was even a war crime 
...if you ask me, it's pretty obvious that someone made some questionable decisions out there 
. And now Hegseth is saying they're "reviewing the process" 
... which just sounds like a fancy way of saying "we don't wanna talk about it" 
.
, but I do think it's kinda fishy how some lawmakers are just accepting Hegseth's word for it 
. Like, shouldn't there be more transparency here? 
And what's with the "patently ridiculous" comment? Is he trying to spin this thing? 