Hakeem Jeffries calls on Pentagon to release Venezuela strike video

(MENAFN) According to general accounts, US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on Tuesday for the full, unedited video of the second strike on a suspected smuggling vessel near Venezuela’s coastline on Sept. 2 to be made available to the public.

"The full video of the ‘double tap’ strike should be released to the American people," Jeffries said during a news conference on Capitol Hill.

"So that the American people have an opportunity to determine for themselves whether that strike killing people who were shipwrecked...not presenting any threat to American military personnel, whether that kind of seemingly extrajudicial killing is consistent with American values."

His comments came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior officials prepared to brief the bipartisan congressional leadership group known as the “Gang of Eight” in a closed meeting. Lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon to hand over the complete recordings from the second strike, which has prompted allegations that two survivors holding onto floating debris may have been killed. The administration last week allowed only a limited number of legislators to view the footage behind closed doors.

Jeffries openly questioned why the material remains withheld.

"If Pete Hegseth and the administration think that their actions are justifiable, what are they hiding from the American people? Release the video," he said.

The Sept. 2 incident was the first in a series of 22 strikes conducted by the Pentagon, which have resulted in more than 85 deaths. Hegseth stated on Saturday that these operations will continue.

Although officials insist the second strike was both legitimate and required, many lawmakers and legal analysts have expressed concern. Several Democratic members have warned that targeting individuals who had already been shipwrecked could constitute a potential war crime.

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