WASHINGTON
Lawmakers in both parties of the US Congress are pressing the Pentagon to release unedited video of the Sept. 2 boat strike off the coast of Venezuela, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
Schumer said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior administration officials will brief the “Gang of Eight” -- intelligence committee and Senate and House of Representatives leaders from both parties -- in a closed session later Tuesday.
He added that he plans to confront Hegseth about access to the full, unedited footage of the second strike, which is at the center of allegations that two survivors clinging to the wreckage of their boat may have been killed.
"I will ask Secretary Hegseth directly ....'Hegseth, will you commit with no BS to providing all senators with access to the unaided tapes of the Sept. 2 boat strike?'" Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Last week, the administration showed the video only to some members of Congress in a closed session.
Schumer accused President Donald Trump and Hegseth of withholding information from Congress and the public. He pointed to Trump’s recent comments, where the president initially said he had “no problem releasing the full video of the strike,” before later claiming he never made the statement.
"What are Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth trying to cover up? Are they lying to the American people, or are they just trying to hide their incompetence?" he asked.
The Democrat leader said the only way to resolve lingering questions about the incident is for the Pentagon to release the complete, unedited recordings.
In a sign of growing frustration on Capitol Hill, lawmakers inserted language into the latest draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), or Pentagon budget, requiring the Pentagon to provide Congress with the unedited video. The provision includes a punitive measure: if the Defense Department fails to comply, Hegseth’s travel budget would be reduced by 25% until the material is delivered.
Schumer framed the provision as evidence of broad bipartisan support for transparency on the matter.
"The inclusion of this NDAA provision restricting travel shows Congress is united in wanting to see these tapes as soon as possible," he said.
The Sept. 2 strike was the first of 22 that the Pentagon has carried out, killing more than 85 people.
Hegseth said Saturday that the strikes will continue.
While the administration maintains that the strike was lawful and necessary, members of Congress and legal experts have raised doubts, with some Democrats warning that targeting survivors could amount to a war crime.