WASHINGTON
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that the Trump administration must provide senators with the full, unedited video of US strikes on an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela, warning that anything less would be “unacceptable."
Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer said senators are scheduled to attend a classified briefing Tuesday morning with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the latest developments in the Caribbean, including what happened during the Sept. 2 boat strikes near Venezuela.
Schumer said he has been pressing for months for a full briefing and transparency surrounding the incident, particularly the release of video footage. He said that while the administration has acknowledged the existence of video from the strikes, it has not provided senators with access to the complete, unedited recordings.
“The Senate demands to see the full and unedited tape showing exactly what happened,” Schumer said, adding that he formally requested the video from Hegseth last week. “A simple 'yes' would have been sufficient, because, frankly, asking for the tapes is not a crazy request. It's basic oversight, something senators are certainly entitled to see."
Instead, Schumer said, Hegseth responded that he needed "more time" to study the issue, a reply Schumer sharply criticized.
"It's been three months. What the hell is there to study? What is there to study?" he asked.
"So ahead of tomorrow's briefing, we need to be clear about one thing: every single member is entitled to see the full, unedited video of what happened during the series of strikes on September the second. Anything less than full access for every senator would be unacceptable," Schumer said, suggesting continued delays could indicate an attempt to conceal damaging information.
Beyond the video dispute, Schumer raised broader concerns about US military activity in the Caribbean and the lack of clarity around President Donald Trump’s plans regarding Venezuela. He said the American public has received "different" messages about US goals in the region, despite the presence of thousands of US troops and major naval assets nearby.
"Tomorrow, Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth owe senators some pretty big answers to some very important questions about what is happening in the Caribbean, what are their goals, what are their plans, what are their limits. Anything less than full transparency and candor from the two secretaries will be unacceptable to the Senate and to the American people," Schumer stressed.
The Sept. 2 strike was the first of 22 that the Pentagon has carried out, killing more than 85 people.
While the administration maintains the second 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.