Congressional committees to scrutinize U.S. killing of boat strike survivors
Source: Washington Post
Republican-led committees in the Senate and the House say they will amplify their scrutiny of the Pentagon after a Washington Post report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill all crew members aboard a vessel suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea several weeks ago.
A live drone feed showed two survivors from the original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of their boat after the initial missile attack Sept. 2, The Post reported Friday afternoon. The Special Operations commander overseeing the operation then ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation, killing both survivors. Those people, along with five others in the original report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Late Friday, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed (Rhode Island), the committee’s top Democrat, issued a statement saying that the committee “is aware of recent news reports — and the Department of Defense’s initial response — regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels.” The committee, they said, “has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”
The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike D. Rogers (R-Alabama) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), followed suit late Saturday. In a brief joint statement, the pair said they are “taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.” The committee, they noted, is “committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”
Read more: https://wapo.st/48k7g1S
We shall see.
= new reply since forum marked as read
But all I was trying to say is that I think we should wait and see what happens, rather than immediately declare that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear.
I know I probably sound like a cockeyed optimist to some people (and I am, to some extent). But all the posts pooh-poohing these investigations sound like they were written by a flock of Chicken Littles to me, so it goes both ways. 
The reason I'm just a little bit hopeful is that I've been seeing signs that a lot of Republicans, from politicians in Congress to rank and file voters, have been getting their fill of Trump lately. I read recently (sorry, can't remember where) that Republicans in the House are getting really, really worried about the midterms and how their chances of reelection are looking. They're genuinely-afraid of losing the House next year, and they are NOT happy about that. I think at least some of them may be questioning the wisdom of continuing to cheerfully rubber stamp every single crazy thing he does.
He's done a lot of crazy things since January 20, and opening these investigations is the closest I can remember Congress coming to sending a message that there's anything even a little big questionable about anything he's done. And thank the universe they have, because blowing up these so-called drug boats (on what appears to be little or no evidence) is arguably the most extreme thing he's done so far. 83 people have been killed in those attacks to date - in what appears to be cold blood - and the last one, where a direct order was given to kill survivors who were clinging to the wreckage, was a flat out, no bones about it, certified WAR CRIME. Consicering the way things have been going, I was pleasantly surprised when committees in both the House and Senate announced that they were going to open investigations.
Whatever happens from here is anybody's guess. If nothing else, i think there's a reasonable possibility of Hegseth getting thrown under the bus. That's one way they could appear to take a stand while still shielding their Dear Leader. It's not ideal, but I could live with it, to be honest. (Because, seriously, FUCK PETE HEGSETH!)
Whatever the outcome of these investigations may be, I'm sure it won't be exactly what any of us would wish, but the fact that committees in both Houses of Congress are opening investigations is not nothing, imo. At the very least, it's a bipartisan acknowledgement that something is Not Right, and to my way of thinking that's pretty significant in itself.
And Fox News needs ratings!
