The Pentagon will not release the full video of a September attack in the Caribbean that killed two individuals as they clung to the wreckage of a burning boat, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. The strike has become the most controversial element of Donald Trump's campaign against Venezuela, which has seen US forces destroy vessels allegedly transporting narcotics, seize an oil tanker, and threaten further military action against President Nicolás Maduro.
Legal experts have raised concerns that US forces may have committed a war crime by killing survivors of the initial air strike on 2 September, and that the campaign is illegal. Democrats have called for the release of the video detailing that attack. Trump initially supported making the footage public but later deferred to Hegseth.
Speaking after a classified briefing for senators alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth said he would not release the video in its entirety, citing classification concerns. “In keeping with longstanding Department of Defense policy, of course, we’re not going to release a top-secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public,” he told reporters. The video was not shown in the briefing, but Hegseth said he would hold a viewing on Wednesday for members of the House and Senate armed services committees.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he demanded Hegseth show the full video to all senators, but the secretary refused. “The administration came to this briefing empty-handed,” Schumer said. “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 noted that Trump and defence officials have repeatedly posted portions of footage from other attacks, making classification concerns seem inconsistent.
Democratic congressman Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was not allowed to see the video despite his role. The US has attacked over 20 vessels since early September, killing at least 90 people. Lawmakers in both chambers have introduced war powers resolutions to stop hostilities against Venezuela without congressional approval, though it is unclear if they have enough Republican support.
Several Trump allies expressed support for the campaign. Senator Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, said, “The process we have is legally sound. It’s been supported by legal opinions for a quarter century now of how we find these people, we fix them, and we finish them.”
