House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said Tuesday that the congressional probe into a U.S. military strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean is “done,” floating the possibility of ending the inquiry even as questions about the operation remain unanswered.
The strike, carried out on September 2 near Venezuelan waters, killed all 11 people aboard the vessel. Reporting from The Washington Post later revealed that two individuals initially survived the first explosion, only to be killed in a subsequent “double-tap” strike — a follow-on attack that many legal experts say violates international law. The Post report said that Adm. Frank Bradley, the mission commander, was following orders from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to kill everyone aboard.
Those details triggered bipartisan concern, with some Democratic lawmakers calling for Hegseth’s removal from office. Rogers and his Democratic counterpart on the committee promised “rigorous oversight” in the aftermath of the attack.
Several Democrats who viewed the footage of the strike described the images as disturbing and raised alarm that the second strike appeared to target survivors floating in the water. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said that the video was “one of the most troubling things” he had seen in his time in public service.
“Yes, they were carrying drugs. They were not in the position to continue their mission in any way,” Himes said.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, described the men killed in the second strike as “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water.”
Some Republican legislators in the room, meanwhile, like Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, defended the decision after reviewing the footage.
Bradley reportedly countered the Post’s version of events a closed-door meeting with lawmakers.
After that classified briefing last week Rogers said the committee had “all the answers [they] needed” and that the matter was closed as far as he was concerned, in comments first reported by Politico. The Post later confirmed the plans, but said that Rogers’ office did not provide details on when the investigation may shut down. The Senate Armed Services Committee also launched a probe in the aftermath of the strike and the Post’s reporting. Rogers said that the full Armed Services Committee will be able to watch the video of the strike next week, though it is unclear if it will be released to the public.
The closure of the probe comes as Congress considers using its oversight powers elsewhere in the region. A War Powers Resolution restricting unauthorized U.S. military action in Venezuela may receive a vote as soon as next week, signaling that some lawmakers might see the boat-strike controversy as part of a broader struggle over presidential authority and accountability in the use of military force.
