House and Senate starts inquiries into a boat strike in the Caribbean
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - Both the House and Senate have started inquiries into a reported second U.S. strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean that killed the survivors of an initial strike, according to two sources.
The report is raising questions about whether the U.S.' actions broke the laws of war.
There is a growing push for answers about the U.S. boat strikes off Venezuela targeting alleged drug smugglers.
President Donald Trump backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid new reports the Pentagon carried out a second strike on a boat to kill survivors of the first hit.
"Pete said that didn't happen. I have great confidence in him," President Trump spoke.
A U.S. official and a source familiar with the actions tell NBC News it happened on September 2, and the Washington Post, citing two sources, was first to report the second strike came because Secretary Hegseth ordered all on board killed.
"We'll look into it. But no, I wouldn't have wanted that, not a second strike," Trump said.
Critics in Congress called it a war crime.
"This rises to the level of a war crime, if it's true, and the questions that we've been asking for months are give us the evidence that the folks on board were really narco traffickers?" said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
Now, Republican leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees are launching inquiries, promising "rigorous oversight."
"If that occurred, that would be be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act," said Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH).
"When people want to surrender, you don't kill them," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disputed the account while Hegseth posted to social media saying in part, "Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also defended the administration's approach to fight drug cartels.
"They are Narco terrorists. What you're showing on the screen right now are terrorists, and they are being blown up," Attorney General Bondi explained.
The U.S. boat strikes have killed more than 80 people over the past few months.
The Trump Administration has been ramping up its military presence in the Caribbean, and Trump posted that airlines should consider the Venezuelan airspace closed.
When asked it meant meant an air strike was imminent, the president said not to read anything into it while also confirming he recently spoke by phone with Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro without offering details.
