Hegseth says he won’t release video of Sept. 2 “double tap” U.S. strike that killed 2 survivors

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday on Capitol Hill that the Pentagon will not release the full video of the “double tap” strike that killed two survivors of a U.S. attack on Sept. 2. 

“Of course we’re not going to release a top-secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public.” Hegseth said, after he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had given senators a classified briefing on the boat strikes. 

There has been mounting pressure on the Pentagon for the past two weeks from lawmakers, mostly Democrats, who want to see the full unedited video of the strikes after reports that U.S. forces targeted two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2.  

A small number of lawmakers have already seen the video, and members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees will view it Wednesday. The Pentagon plans to share it “with the appropriate committees,” Hegseth told reporters Tuesday, without answering any questions. 

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters the Pentagon is stonewalling them over calls to show the video to all members of Congress. 

“I think they’re trying to run out the clock in terms of holding off giving it to the rest of the senators, so then the Senate doesn’t see it before we break for the holidays,” Warner said. 

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina agreed that members of Congress should be able to see the video. 

“I think the video should be released to everybody in Congress,” Graham said. “The least of my concerns is this friggin’ video – release it — make your own decisions, but this is lawful.” 

U.S. Southern Command announced Monday that U.S. forces had killed eight alleged drug smugglers in strikes targeting three suspected drug vessels, bringing the total number of individuals killed to more than 90 since the campaign began in early September. 

Graham told reporters he wants the Trump administration to clearly state its goal in the Caribbean and whether it means to try to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. 

“I asked the question, ‘What happens when he leaves?’ And they say that this is counter-drugs; ‘it’d be nice if he left,'” Graham said. “That’s not a good answer. I want to reassert again — you cannot allow this man to be standing after this display of force.”