Top Democrat expresses outrage over Pentagon's "double-tap" strike on suspected drug-trafficking boat off Venezuela's coast, calls for further investigation.
US Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, has expressed his deep concern and disturbance over the footage of a recent Pentagon-authorized military operation. The classified briefing took place earlier today, where Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley and General Dan Caine discussed the operation with lawmakers from both parties.
The double-tap strike occurred on September 2nd in international waters off Venezuela's coast. According to Reed, the Pentagon had no choice but to release unedited footage of the operation, citing that the initial video showed the military striking a boat carrying suspected drugs, and then another strike occurring shortly after.
Reed stated that this briefing confirmed his worst fears about Trump administration military activities and expressed concern over the nature of these operations. He also emphasized that further investigation is required to understand the full context of this incident.
In contrast, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate intelligence committee, described the operation as "entirely lawful and needful" during a separate briefing with lawmakers. The Arkansas senator stated that there was no order for troops to show no mercy and that Admiral Bradley received an order that was written down in great detail.
The development has sparked controversy among lawmakers, with many expressing skepticism about the administration's actions.
US Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, has expressed his deep concern and disturbance over the footage of a recent Pentagon-authorized military operation. The classified briefing took place earlier today, where Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley and General Dan Caine discussed the operation with lawmakers from both parties.
The double-tap strike occurred on September 2nd in international waters off Venezuela's coast. According to Reed, the Pentagon had no choice but to release unedited footage of the operation, citing that the initial video showed the military striking a boat carrying suspected drugs, and then another strike occurring shortly after.
Reed stated that this briefing confirmed his worst fears about Trump administration military activities and expressed concern over the nature of these operations. He also emphasized that further investigation is required to understand the full context of this incident.
In contrast, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate intelligence committee, described the operation as "entirely lawful and needful" during a separate briefing with lawmakers. The Arkansas senator stated that there was no order for troops to show no mercy and that Admiral Bradley received an order that was written down in great detail.
The development has sparked controversy among lawmakers, with many expressing skepticism about the administration's actions.
this is gonna be a mess... like, what even is a "double-tap" strike? Sounds like some kinda special forces move 
and now we got two senators goin at it like a couple of politicians tryna one-up each other. Jack Reed's all worried about the "nature of these operations" but Tom Cotton's just straight up sayin' they're law, no questions asked 
meanwhile we got some footage that mighta been edited or whatever... and now Reed's callin for more investigation? Like what's he hopin' to find out? That it was a legit bust? 
. and who releases unedited footage? that's just crazy talk! 
meanwhile, I'm sure Admiral Bradley and General Caine have all their ducks in a row, but you can't help but wonder what really went down on that boat...
The more I think about it, the more I'm like "Wait, what was the first strike for?" And why did they release unedited footage? 
That makes me even more suspicious. Interesting how both sides are saying opposite things, with one senator calling it "lawful and needful" and the other expressing outrage... 
Now we're seeing similar stuff happening with these double-tap strikes off Venezuela's coast. It just doesn't feel right 
... now it feels like we're getting some sketchy footage and trying to spin it as okay 
. I'm all for investigating what happened, but can't we just get the full picture first? 
. I'm no expert, but from where I'm sitting, it looks like two sides of the same coin to me 
?
And then you got the part about the double-tap strike... sounds like things escalated pretty fast 
. I don't know if we'll ever get a full story out of this, but one thing's for sure, it's not looking good 
. Can we at least wait for some more info before jumping to conclusions? 
They just drop a bomb on a boat thinking it's carrying drugs and then BAM! another one just happens to hit it like clockwork. Like, what's the rush? Can't they just take some time to figure out if it's really a bad guy or not? 
It seems so hasty and aggressive... makes me wonder if we're getting our info straight on these operations... 
, not real life. I can understand why Senator Reed is calling for an investigation - we need to know what happened and who was involved. And yeah, it's pretty messed up that the footage showed two strikes in quick succession... my heart would've stopped if I saw that on TV 
. I mean, what's the real story here? Was that boat really carrying suspected drugs or was it just a convenient excuse for some military overreach?