Adam Schiff blasts Pete Hegseth and says the Pentagon is hiding a video that will prove their actions were a ‘deliberate’ slaughter

Senator Adam Schiff is absolutely demanding that the Pentagon release video footage of a second, highly controversial strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, according to The Hill. The Democratic Senator from California didn’t mince words, pushing hard for transparency and directly challenging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Schiff wants the American public to see the footage so they can judge for themselves whether they support the military’s actions in the September operation. Speaking with NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” Schiff laid out exactly why the video is necessary. He believes the footage will show two people sitting on a capsized boat who were then “deliberately killed.”

“Frankly, if the Pentagon and our Defense secretary are so proud of what they’re doing, let the American people see that video,” Schiff stated. He added that the public should “decide for themselves whether they’re proud of what their country is doing.” Hearing that description of people sitting on a capsized boat being targeted is awful. Schiff wrapped up his point by saying, “I can’t imagine people would be proud of that.”

Hegseth has been trying his absolute best to stop the release of the footage

This demand for immediate release directly contradicts the stance taken by Secretary Hegseth just the day before. On Saturday, Hegseth spoke to Fox News’s Lucas Tomlinson and refused to commit to releasing the footage of the second strike, citing security concerns.

Hegseth explained that the Pentagon is currently reviewing the video. He stressed that they have to be extremely careful about what they show the public, especially since the counternarcotics campaign is ongoing. Releasing the video could compromise “sources, methods, I mean, it’s an ongoing operation, [tactics, techniques and procedures].” He added that whatever they decide to release, they’d “have to be very responsible about.”

While the Defense Secretary worries about operational security, especially after the Pentagon Watchdog’s findings about his secret war chat, President Trump appears to side with Schiff on the issue of transparency. President Trump publicly backed the release of the video footage related to the September strike that killed survivors. The president told reporters, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem.”

It’s clear the administration wants to maintain focus on the overall success of the drug interdiction campaign, even while this particular incident faces intense scrutiny. President Trump was quick to pivot, highlighting the massive reduction in drug trafficking due to these efforts. He emphasized that the numbers are speaking for themselves. “If you look at our numbers, the drugs coming out through sea are down 91 percent,” the president noted. He also stated that for “Every boat we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives.”

This whole situation puts the Pentagon in a tough spot. They have to balance operational security and the desire to show off the campaign’s overall success against the intense public pressure being mounted by Senator Schiff to reveal exactly what happened during that second strike.