Lawmaker urges release of Venezuela strike footage as parties split over whether targets were defenseless
One of the few U.S. lawmakers who have seen classified footage of the U.S. military's strikes against a suspected drug boat off the coast of Venezuela believes the public should...
By Fox News · Fox News
One of the few U.S. lawmakers who have seen classified footage of the U.S. military's strikes against a suspected drug boat off the coast of Venezuela believes the public should get to see the evidence, too. "I think it's really important that this video be made public. It's not lost on anyone, of course, that the interpretation of the video, which you know, six or seven of us had an opportunity to see last week, broke down precisely on party lines," Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said in an interview with "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "I know how the public is going to react, because I felt my own reaction," Himes added. HEGSETH HINTS MAJOR DEFENSE SPENDING INCREASE, REVEALS NEW DETAILS ON TRUMP’S ANTI-NARCOTERRORISM OPERATIONS Democrats quickly condemned the administration when news first broke that the U.S. Department of War had ordered a second strike to eliminate survivors who had somehow escaped an initial strike. Republicans, by contrast, largely came to the defense of the strike, arguing that the administration had taken the necessary steps to eliminate narco-traffickers that President Donald Trump had designated as terrorists. The War Department has ordered over 20 different strikes on small boats in the Caribbean, targeting what it calls drug smuggling activity. Only one strike is thought to have had multiple attacks to eliminate survivors. "I think it's important for Americans to see it because, look, there's a certain amount of sympathy out there for going after drug runners," Himes said. "But I think it's really important that people see what it looks like when the full force of the United States military is turned on two guys who are clinging to a piece of wood and about to go under, just so that they have sort of a visceral feel for what it is that we're doing." CAPITOL HILL REVOLT THREATENS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA PLAYBOOK AMID CARIBBEAN STRIKE OVERSIGHT Himes said his estimation of the video turned on the defenselessness of the targets. "These guys — and this i…