Lawmakers are demanding the Pentagon release additional documents and details on a second strike in the Caribbean that killed shipwrecked survivors on an alleged drug boat following Thursday's briefings from the admiral involved.
Why it matters: The possibility that the strike violated international maritime law and America's own rules of war has reignited calls for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign.
- The pressure on Hegseth is likely to grow as the briefing coincides with a long-awaited inspector general's report on Signalgate, which found he had potentially endangered American troops by using the messaging platform Signal.
Driving the news: Members on the Intelligence and Armed Services Committees emerged from briefings on the strikes with additional details about the September attack, provided by Admiral Frank Bradley.
- Bradley gave the go-ahead to launch a second strike on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors hanging on to the wreckage of an already demolished boat, according to the White House.
- Targeting shipwrecked survivors is against the military's Law of War Manual, and some legal observers have gone as far as to call it a "war crime."
- President Trump doubled down on his support of the attack on Wednesday, reiterating his claim that "this is war" and that his administration would have "no problem" releasing any footage of the strike.
What they're saying: After reviewing the footage, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said what he saw was "one of the most troubling things" he had ever seen in public service.
- "Any American who sees the video that I saw will see the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors — bad guys, bad guys — but attacking shipwrecked sailors," he said, adding that what happened is the textbook example of an "impermissible action" in the Defense Department's handbook.
- Senior member of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said that he was particularly "concerned" about the strikes because if the survivors had been captured and convicted, they "would be put in jail," not "subject to capital punishment."
- Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was "deeply disturbed" by what he saw Thursday.
- "This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration's military activities, and demonstrates exactly why the ... Committee has repeatedly requested — and been denied — fundamental information, documents, and facts about this operation," Reed said, adding that his investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The intrigue: Turner also noted that the looming vote on the National Defense Authorization Act includes language requiring the Pentagon to release additional intelligence about Venezuela to Congress, "as a result of the failure to provide information" on the strikes.
What we're watching: Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) plans to file articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Thursday.
- And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a post on X Thursday that "Pete Hegseth is not qualified to serve as Secretary of Defense. Our troops deserve better. He must resign."
- However, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) previously signaled that he doesn't expect an impeachment inquiry to have teeth in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Go deeper: Could Dems really impeach Hegseth? Here's what would have to happen
