‘That was a joke’: Progressive lawmaker slams boat strike briefings, what she says about the shared intelligence is absolutely embarrasing for Pentagon

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez absolutely slammed the classified briefings Congress received about President Trump’s recent military strikes on alleged drug boats, outright calling the sessions “a joke,” as per The Hill. The New York Democrat was immediately critical of the information shared, raising serious questions about the administration’s transparency regarding the military actions.

When journalist Pablo Manríquez asked her if she was satisfied with the answers she got during the closed-door sessions, Ocasio-Cortez was blunt. “Oh, hell no,” she responded, adding, “That was a joke. That was a joke.” If you’re looking for serious intelligence sharing, apparently this wasn’t it. Ocasio-Cortez was genuinely upset by the lack of factual data presented.

She didn’t mince words, stating that there wasn’t “a single piece of intelligence that was shared that even rises to the level of any other briefing that we’ve seen on Ukraine, China, anything.” This sounds awful for congressional oversight. If members of Congress are getting less information than they do on standard international issues, you can bet the briefing was just for show. She characterized the entire session not as a “serious intelligence briefing,” but merely as “a communication of opinion.”

The Pentagon is facing mounting opposition to the boat strikes in the Caribbean

Ocasio-Cortez then issued a serious warning to the White House, making it clear that the administration can’t bypass the legislative branch on military action. If the administration “wants to go to war, they need to go get it from Congress.” That’s a clear line in the sand, emphasizing that military action needs legislative oversight, especially if the intelligence supporting it is this flimsy.

The briefings were given to all members of Congress, and they only happened because lawmakers pressured the administration heavily for information about the boat strikes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were the ones running the sessions.

Speaking of Hegseth, the Defense Secretary had a separate, significant message regarding the visuals of the strike itself. He told reporters right after briefing senators that the Pentagon would not release the full, unedited video of the early September strike. That particular incident resulted in the death of 11 people, including two individuals who were initial survivors but were tragically killed in a follow-up strike.

Hegseth cited “long-standing Department of War policy” as the reason for keeping the “top secret full unedited video” from the general public. While you can certainly understand the hesitation to release truly sensitive materials, this refusal is bound to spark more controversy, especially given Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that the administration is only sharing “opinions” instead of hard intelligence. It makes you wonder what exactly they are trying to hide if the intel is so scarce.

The pressure from lawmakers for answers about these strikes has clearly been mounting. When the administration finally does provide a briefing, only to have a high-profile lawmaker immediately dismiss it as a “joke” lacking any serious intelligence, it suggests a profound breakdown in communication and trust between the Pentagon and Congress.