Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that classified video of the controversial follow-up strike on a suspected drug boat in September is “very, very clear” and should be released to the public.
Smith said the footage shows two shipwrecked survivors clinging to what remained of a destroyed vessel, directly contradicting Republican claims that the men were attempting to rejoin the fight.
GOP Sen. Tom Cotton earlier called the strikes “entirely lawful,” saying he saw “two survivors trying to flip a boat… back over so they could stay in the fight.”
Smith dismissed that account as “patently ridiculous,” saying the vessel was “completely disabled” and that even the overseeing admiral did not suggest otherwise.
Top congressional leaders viewed the video Thursday during a classified briefing with Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who commanded the operation.
The Trump administration has not yet released the footage, despite mounting bipartisan pressure.