American lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties delivered starkly contradictory accounts this weekend regarding a controversial military operation, escalating a fierce debate over potential war crimes and the legality of the Trump administration's tactics.
Clashing Narratives on the Sunday Shows
The focal point of the dispute is a September 2nd strike in the Caribbean, part of a series of attacks on vessels the White House claims are smuggling drugs. While most GOP figures have defended the actions, citing the president's authority, Democrats have intensified their criticism, with some labelling the specific 'double-tap' strike—where a second missile hit survivors of an initial attack—as a potential war crime.
Representative Adam Smith, the leading Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, stated his view after viewing classified footage in a closed briefing. "It's no different than any of the dozen-plus videos they've already released," Smith said on ABC's This Week. "It seems pretty clear they don't want to release this video because they don't want people to see it." He argued that the video's release would prove Republican defences false.
On NBC's Meet the Press, Senator Adam Schiff condemned the strike as both "unconstitutional" and "morally repugnant."
Republican Defence and Internal Criticism
Key Republicans offered a vigorous defence. Senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asserted the strikes' legality under presidential authority, albeit mistakenly referencing President Bush. He described the targets of the second strike on September 2nd as active, stating, "They were not incapacitated... They were clearly moving around on it." He maintained the policy was an effective tool against drug trafficking.
However, the administration's position faced rare bipartisan scepticism. Senator Thom Tillis called for those who authorised the second strike to be removed from command, demanding accountability. His colleague, Senator Rand Paul, accused Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth of being either "lying or incompetent" and joined calls for the video to be made public and for Hegseth to testify under oath.
Scrutiny on Defence Secretary Hegseth
The controversy further envelops Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose management of the Pentagon is under intense scrutiny. A recent inspector general's report found he compromised US intelligence by sharing it in an unclassified Signal chat group that mistakenly included a reporter.
Senior Democrats have amplified their criticisms of Hegseth's experience, while even some Republican allies struggled to express full confidence in his leadership following the report's publication.
The most severe condemnation came from Senator Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran, on CNN's State of the Union. She declared the administration's actions illegal and called the 'double-tap' strike "essentially murder." When pressed by host Dana Bash, Duckworth unequivocally stated: "It is a war crime. It's illegal—however you put it, it's still illegal."
With President Trump promising to release the footage, the political storm over the Caribbean strike policy and the leadership at the Pentagon shows no sign of abating as 2025 draws to a close.
