The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth invited certain members of Congress to view the video in which U.S. military fired a missile at a boat with 11 men on board, allegedly carrying illegal drugs in international waters. After the first strike, surveillance showed that there were two survivors holding on to the remains of disabled boat and trying to climb on to it. Some of those who saw the video said the two survivors waved at the U.S. aircraft. A second strike killed the two men.
Democrats who saw the video said the two men were unarmed, had no communications devices, and were likely seeking to surrender or asking for help.
Republicans who saw the video said the two men were seeking to flip the boat and continue their mission. Hegseth says the second strike was justified because the men still posed a threat.
Was the second strike necessary or was it a war crime or murder?
George Stephanopoulos interviewed Rep. Adam Smith, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
The ABC interview is worth watching.
The American public should have the opportunity to view the video that members of Congress saw.
If Congressman Smith is right, whoever gave the order to kill the survivors is guilty of a war crime or murder.
If Hegseth and Republicans who saw the video are right, it was necessary to kill the two survivors to prevent them from summoning another boat to rescue them.
Release the video!
If they refuse to show it to the public, they are purposely keeping us in the dark. None of has an informed opinion unless we see the video that was showed to some members of Congress.
I assume that the boat was no longer navigable after sustaining a missile hit. But I may be wrong.
Release the video and let us have an informed discussion.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
We are peasants under the whims of a gang of sadistic thugs who hate civil society.
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Twice impeached convicted, rapist fraud and felon Donald Trump and his incompetent klepto-kakistocracy regime are lousy liars.
is highly improbable for two men to successfully flip an overturned, heavy speedboat and crawl back in after it was hit by an aircraft-fired missile
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Lloyd,
All that you say makes sense. One of the people who saw the video described the debris of the boat as looking like an overturned table top. The two survivors, even if they flipped it over, would not have a boat. They would have a piece of debris that was more stable than the overturned hull.
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TRUMP’S GOT ANOTHER PROBLEM NOW —
In response to a reporter’s question asking if Trump would release all of the September 2 videos showing all the attacks on the alleged drug-carrying boat, Trump said: “Whatever they have, we’ll certainly release — NO PROBLEM.”
BUT NOW TRUMP HAS A BIG PROBLEM WITH THAT because members of Congress who have seen the video of the second attack report that it shows two survivors clinging to the overturned bow of the boat that was almost entirely sunk.
In fact, Hegseth told the media: “That thing was on fire — it was EXPLODED!!!”
There is no physical way that two guys could get a sinking exploded boat of that big size turned upright and on its way again.
The United States “LAW OF WAR” manual states that persons “who are wounded, sick, or shipwrecked shall be respected and PROTECTED IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES” and that “such persons are among categories of persons placed ‘hors de combat” [no longer able to engage in combat] and that making them the object of attack is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN.”
So, as soon as Trump learned that the video of the second attack shows that the U.S. Navy committed a war crime forbidden by America’s own LAW OF WAR manual, Trump has been silent about releasing the video of that second attack.
Before, Trump had no problem with releasing the video of that second strike…but now Trump has a BIG PROBLEM — a war crime problem.
Meanwhile, Hegseth is hanging Navy Admiral Frank Bradley out to dry. Hegseth says he didn’t give the command for the second attack on that boat and that it must have been Bradley.
AND THEN THERE’S THIS: In a briefing meeting with members of Congress, Admiral Bradley admitted that the boat wasn’t even headed for the United States, but was heading IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION toward the nation of Suriname on the east coast of South America.
BY THE WAY — click on the link below to see Hegseth telling American military personnel to NOT OBEY ILLEGAL ORDERS.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1765620247459454
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MAGA Lawlessness. 2025 will go down in the history books as the “Great Regression” in American Democracy.
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Let’s begin with the reality that the bombing of all the water vessels in the Caribbean Sea is illegal. The criminal enterprise that is occupying the USA government is breaking laws and these acts can’t be justified by anyone on any level.
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Agreed.
These boats were more than 1,000 miles from US.
We don’t patrol international waters.
If they are in our waters, the U.S. Coast Guard should stop them and arrest them.
Hegseth thinks he’s playing a game.
Or he’s a psychopath. .
Or both
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correct. The rogue government now occupying the US is doing things we deplored during World War I. How is this really different from unrestricted submarine warfare?
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