Trump says survivors of scrutinized US strike were trying to right boat before 2nd missile was fired

WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump on Monday justified the U S military s decision to fire a second missile in a heavily scrutinized attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea by claiming that two suspected drug middlemen were trying to right the vessel after it had capsized in the initial strike Trump also backtracked on whether he was open to releasing the video footage of the second strike Last week Trump explained reporters he saw no trouble in releasing the footage but on Monday he disclosed he would leave the decision to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth The Republican administration is facing calls from Democratic lawmakers to release footage of the Sept operation in the Caribbean Sea which killed nine people aboard the boat in an initial strike and then two more who managed to survive They were trying to return the boat back to where it could float and we didn t want to see that because that boat was loaded up with drugs Trump declared on Monday When urged by a reporter about his comments last week suggesting he was open to releasing footage of the second strike Trump denied that was his position and bitterly attacked the reporter as obnoxious and terrible Whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me Trump reported Trump however last Wednesday in an exchange with reporters about the strike footage disclosed Whatever they have we d certainly release The Sept operation was the first in what has become a monthslong series of American strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that the administration says are targeting drug handlers working on behalf of cartels including chosen controlled by Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro At least people have been killed in known strikes Trump has broadly justified the campaign as necessary for his administration to stem the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States He declares the U S is in armed conflict with narco-terrorists Hegseth explained in a Fox News interview Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California that agents were reviewing the video but he did not commit to releasing it Whatever we were to decide to release we d have to be very responsible about it Hegseth reported The Pentagon on Monday did not this instant respond to a request for comment on the status of Hegseth s review or confirm Trump s assertion that the persons appeared to be trying to turn over the vessel before the second strike was fired On Capitol Hill lawmakers are demanding that the Pentagon hand over unedited video of strikes against drug cartels to Congress threatening to withhold a quarter of Hegseth s movement budget if it doesn t The provision is included in the billion defense bill the House is expected to vote on later this week Over the weekend Sen Tom Cotton the Republican who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee reported he would not oppose general release of the footage But Cotton among the top lawmakers on national assurance committees who were briefed by the Navy admiral commanding those strikes is splitting with Democrats over whether military personnel acted lawfully in carrying out the second strike to kill the two survivors It s not gruesome I didn t find it distressing or disturbing he revealed explaining why he does not have a challenge with releasing all the footage It looks like any number of dozens of strikes we ve seen on jeeps and pickup trucks in the Middle East over the years Connecticut Rep Jim Himes the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee announced the video was profoundly shaking And Rep Adam Smith of Washington the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee reported it did not appear that these two survivors were in any position to continue the fight Both Himes and Smith who spoke separately on Sunday talk shows have viewed the video The classified sessions on Capitol Hill came after a overview that Adm Frank Mitch Bradley had ordered the follow-on attack to comply with Hegseth s demands Bradley recounted lawmakers there was no kill them all order from Hegseth but a video of the entire series of attacks left a few lawmakers with serious questions Legal experts have revealed killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare