Pete Hegseth Says Administration Won’t Release Full Video of Double-Tap Strike

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the administration would not release an unedited video of the Sept. 2 “double-tap” strike in the Caribbean despite urging from Democratic and even some Republican senators.

“In keeping with long-standing Department of War policy…of course, we’re not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public,” he told reporters after he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with senators for a classified briefing.

Hegseth said the administration would share the videos with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and continue to brief lawmakers. But he made clear they stand by the strikes, which have killed at least 90 people since early September who the Trump administration alleges are smuggling drugs.

“We’re proud of what we’re doing,” Hegseth said.

The classified briefing was the third of its kind, this one involving the full Senate. Lawmakers emerged exactly where they started: Democrats said the administration is still not being straight with Congress, while Republicans largely defended the strikes.

“If they can’t be transparent on this, how can you trust their transparency on all the other issues swirling about in the Caribbean?” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the briefing, where he says he asked Hegseth to allow all senators to see unedited footage of the Sept. 2 strikes.

The briefing capped weeks of mounting scrutiny over the U.S. military’s decision to launch a fatal second strike on two men who survived an initial attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat. Democrats say the picture remains incomplete, not just about the “double-tap” strike but about the administration’s broader use of fatal strikes to take out drug boats without congressional authorization or due process.

“We don’t want another endless war,” Schumer said. “And given Trump’s erratic back and forth on this issue, I worry about that. So do many Americans.”

Democrats have pressed the Pentagon to release the unedited video and the legal opinions that justified the operation, but the administration has repeatedly declined to do so.

Sen. Adam Schiff said Tuesday that he will introduce “a live unanimous consent request to release the video.”

“I found the legal explanations and the strategic explanations incoherent, but I think American people should see this video, and all members of Congress should have that opportunity,” Schiff said.

In a previous classified briefing, a group of senators was shown selected clips of the operation, but not the full, unedited footage of the second strike. Several Democrats said what they saw was troubling and that Congress cannot judge whether the strike was lawful without seeing the entire sequence.

Some Republicans also want to see the full footage. Sen. Mike Rounds said he was “inclined” to support broader access but wanted to see it himself first.

Sen. Thom Tillis said lawmakers still lack enough information to make firm judgments.

“We’re still looking at it,” Tillis said. “That’s why I think the video would be helpful.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested he didn’t much care either way.

“The least of my concerns is this friggin’ video, release it, make your own decisions,” Graham said. “I want to know what’s going to happen next.”

The Trump administration continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuela. Officials say the strikes are part of a campaign against drug trafficking, while signaling they are prepared to go further, including by seizing Venezuelan oil tankers and potentially launching land strikes. On Monday, Trump designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, a step that could broaden the administration’s legal footing for further military action.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published Tuesday that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” referring to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

After the briefing, Rubio said the mission was succeeding and would continue.

“This has been a highly successful mission that’s ongoing and continued,” Rubio said. “We’ll continue to engage with Congress on this.”

Sen. Chris Coons said after Tuesday’s briefing that questions about the administration’s endgame went unanswered, especially in light of outside comments suggesting the goal is to drive Maduro from power.

“I was struck at the lack of…next step plan,” Coons said. “The core policy question is, if you succeed in overthrowing or removing Maduro by whatever means, what comes next?”

Lawmakers have attempted to assert their war power authority without success. And the House’s annual defense bill includes a measure that would withhold part of Hegseth’s travel budget until unedited strike footage is turned over to Congress.

But some Republicans appear ready to move on. House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers has said he plans to wind down his panel’s investigation, saying he has seen what he needs. Sen. Tim Sheehy said after Tuesday’s briefing that the strikes are part of a long-standing targeting system used by presidents of both parties.

“The process we have is legally sound,” Sheehy said. “It’s been supported by legal opinions for a quarter century.”