Democrats demand video release

News blog about US politics

Pressure on Hegseth is growing – “disturbing scenes”

Following a deadly US drone strike in the Caribbean, leading Democrats are calling for a video to be released. They speak of a targeted killing of defenseless men. All developments in the news blog.

US Democrats are calling for the release of a video purporting to show a second deadly US airstrike on suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean. Eleven people died in the Sept. 2 operation, including two men who reportedly survived the first attack and floated on the wreckage of their boat for more than an hour before being targeted in a second attack.

“Let the American people see two people sitting on a capsized boat and being killed – and decide for themselves whether they’re proud of that,” Senator Adam Schiff said on NBC on Sunday. Representative Jim Himes also spoke of “one of the most disturbing scenes” he had ever seen. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the Defense Committee, said: “They don’t want people to see that – because it’s very, very difficult to justify.”

Above all, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth is under pressure. The Washington Post and CNN reported that he had given internal orders to “kill everyone.” Admiral Frank Bradley, who led the operation, denied this. President Trump appeared open to publication, but Hegseth avoided a clear commitment. Republican Senator Tom Cotton defended the operation: “The video is not cruel. It looks like dozens of other strikes in the Middle East.”

US President Donald Trump welcomed Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone and the rock band Kiss to the White House. They are to be honored for their artistic life’s work on Sunday evening (local time) by the Kennedy Center, the largest cultural institution in the US capital – just like the singer Gloria Gaynor, the country musician George Strait and the Briton Michael Crawford, who is known for his acting, among other things. Trump presented this year’s winners with their medals in the Oval Office.