Top Intel Democrat Sounds Alarm After Viewing Navy “Double-Tap” Strike Footage
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, delivered a stark warning Thursday after receiving a classified briefing on the U.S. Navy’s controversial “double-tap” strike that killed two survivors from a destroyed vessel near Venezuela.
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Speaking to reporters after the briefing led by Admiral Mitch Bradley and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Himes said the footage shown to lawmakers was deeply alarming.
“What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” Himes said.
According to Himes, the video depicts two individuals left stranded in the water after their vessel was destroyed — “in clear distress, without any means of locomotion” — before being killed by the United States in a follow-on strike.
The incident, which took place on September 2 in international waters, has come under bipartisan scrutiny following reporting that the second strike may have violated the rules of engagement or international humanitarian law. Defense officials have maintained that the operation was legally authorized, though lawmakers from both parties say the video raises serious questions.
No footage or transcript from the briefing has been publicly released, and the Pentagon has not provided additional comment beyond reiterating that the mission targeted a suspected narcotics smuggling vessel.
Calls for further investigation are growing on Capitol Hill as more lawmakers react to the classified presentation.