‘Deeply troubling’: Democrat lawmaker was briefed by commander of the controversial strike, what he says after mean more worries for Trump administration

Rep. Jim Himes, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, is saying he’s “deeply” troubled after reviewing video evidence of the Pentagon’s controversial double-tap strikes on suspected drug runners in the Caribbean, as per The Hill. This is definitely not good news for the Trump administration, as Himes believes the evidence clearly shows U.S. forces intentionally targeted survivors who were already in deep distress and posed zero threat to American security.

Himes, who represents Connecticut, was among a small group of lawmakers who met with Navy Adm. Frank Bradley. Admiral Bradley is the commander of the mission that took place on September 2, and he briefed the lawmakers in a secure location on Capitol Hill. During the session, the committee members were shown video footage of the operation, which Himes found deeply disturbing.

“I reviewed the video, and it’s deeply, deeply troubling,” Himes said following the briefing. He didn’t hold back on his personal assessment of the situation, stating that the U.S. killed two people who were clearly struggling to survive. According to Himes, these individuals “had neither the means nor obviously the intent to continue their mission.”

It sounds like they were just trying to stay afloat, and that’s awful if they were targeted intentionally while defenseless.

The controversy surrounding the strikes has been brewing on Capitol Hill ever since The Washington Post published details about the operation last week. That initial report alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had actually ordered his subordinates to “kill everybody” aboard the targeted vessel. The Post claimed that when two survivors were spotted clinging to the shattered remains of the boat, Admiral Bradley ordered a second strike specifically to comply with Hegseth’s incredibly harsh directions.

If that original report were true, it would be catastrophic for the military’s reputation. However, Admiral Bradley challenged that specific account during his briefing with the Intelligence Committee leaders, which is an important detail. Himes confirmed that Bradley directly addressed the accusations regarding the chain of command.

“The admiral confirmed that there had not been a ‘kill them all’ order, and that there was not an order to grant ‘no quarter,’” Himes explained. While this denial throws some cold water on the most inflammatory detail from The Washington Post, it doesn’t solve the core problem: Himes still believes that the video evidence confirms that U.S. forces killed two non-threatening survivors.

Admiral Bradley declined to provide any further details about the incident or his briefing, and he offered no comment as he left the meeting with the top lawmakers. Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, on the other hand, is accusing the Trump administration of making Admiral Bradley the scapegoat.