US Democrats Urge Pentagon to Release Video of Alleged War Crime Involving Drone Strike
Top US lawmakers are ramping up pressure on the Pentagon to release footage of a second drone strike that killed 11 people, including two who were left clinging to wreckage for an hour after the initial attack. The incident has sparked intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes, with some Democrats arguing that the Pentagon is withholding the video to avoid embarrassment.
"We're proud Americans, we want to see what our military is doing," said Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "If the Pentagon and our defense secretary are so proud of what they're doing, let the American people see that video." The request comes as Democrats continue to accuse the Trump administration of mishandling the situation.
The Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying that there was no order to kill everyone on board. However, experts have raised questions about the defense's claims. "If the Pentagon and our defense secretary are so proud of what they're doing, let the American people see that video," said Schiff.
President Donald Trump has expressed support for releasing the video, but Hegseth did not commit to doing so over the weekend. The Pentagon is reviewing its procedures for declassifying sensitive information to ensure it does not compromise national security.
Lawmakers have expressed outrage at the incident, with Representative Jim Himes calling it "one of the most troubling scenes I've ever seen in my time in public service." Representative Adam Smith described the situation as "pretty clear" that those involved did not want to release the video because it was difficult to justify.
Not everyone is opposed to releasing the footage. Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said he trusted Secretary Hegseth and his team to make the decision about whether to declassify and release the video. However, Cotton also defended the legality of the strike, saying that those killed were not in a state of distress on the boat.
The release of the footage has sparked debate over the laws governing drone strikes and military actions in the Caribbean. As Democrats continue to pressure the Pentagon for transparency, it remains to be seen whether the video will ever be made public.
Top US lawmakers are ramping up pressure on the Pentagon to release footage of a second drone strike that killed 11 people, including two who were left clinging to wreckage for an hour after the initial attack. The incident has sparked intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes, with some Democrats arguing that the Pentagon is withholding the video to avoid embarrassment.
"We're proud Americans, we want to see what our military is doing," said Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "If the Pentagon and our defense secretary are so proud of what they're doing, let the American people see that video." The request comes as Democrats continue to accuse the Trump administration of mishandling the situation.
The Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying that there was no order to kill everyone on board. However, experts have raised questions about the defense's claims. "If the Pentagon and our defense secretary are so proud of what they're doing, let the American people see that video," said Schiff.
President Donald Trump has expressed support for releasing the video, but Hegseth did not commit to doing so over the weekend. The Pentagon is reviewing its procedures for declassifying sensitive information to ensure it does not compromise national security.
Lawmakers have expressed outrage at the incident, with Representative Jim Himes calling it "one of the most troubling scenes I've ever seen in my time in public service." Representative Adam Smith described the situation as "pretty clear" that those involved did not want to release the video because it was difficult to justify.
Not everyone is opposed to releasing the footage. Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said he trusted Secretary Hegseth and his team to make the decision about whether to declassify and release the video. However, Cotton also defended the legality of the strike, saying that those killed were not in a state of distress on the boat.
The release of the footage has sparked debate over the laws governing drone strikes and military actions in the Caribbean. As Democrats continue to pressure the Pentagon for transparency, it remains to be seen whether the video will ever be made public.
. I mean, come on, if there's a vid of a drone strike that killed 11 people, including two who were stuck in the wreckage for an hour, it's not like it's a secret or anything 
. The Pentagon is just being extra cautious about declassifying sensitive info, but honestly, what's the worst that could happen? They're gonna get sued for war crimes or something? 
I don't think so. And can we please stop playing politics with this already? It's just a drone strike, folks. Let's focus on getting to the bottom of it instead of trying to score points against each other 
. And btw, if the Pentagon is so proud of what they're doing, shouldn't they be transparent about it? 
. They want to see what their military is doing, right? It feels like they're hiding something from us. Like, if it was a bad thing, why wouldn't they wanna show it? 
I don’t think it’s too much to ask for some transparency here 
.
. It's about accountability and trust 
. We need to know what's going on behind closed doors, especially when it comes to our military actions 
.
... Like, if they're hiding something from us, isn't that kinda weird? 
And what's up with the different people giving conflicting accounts on what happened? 
. The more we hear from people saying that this is a war crime situation and that we need to see the footage, the more I think it's time for something to give 
.
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and honestly, i think both sides need to calm down and talk this out instead of trying to one-up each other. 
i remember when trump was president and people were already questioning his decisions on drones and wars... what's next? are we gonna see footage of him tweeting about it in 2025? 
It just doesn't add up, you know? And yeah, President Trump is all for releasin' it, but Pete Hegseth is still holdin' back. Maybe we should just get the footage out already and let the American people decide? 
. And another thing, if Trump said he's okay with releasing it then why are we still waiting? Can't they just make up their minds? 
