(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump, after initially saying he had “no problem” with releasing the video of the Sept. 2 strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea that killed two survivors, is now reversing course and deferring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“I didn’t say that,” Trump claimed when pressed on Monday by ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott about his Dec. 3 comments.
“Whatever Hegseth wants to do is OK with me,” Trump said on Monday.
In an interview with Politico published on Tuesday morning, Trump further distanced himself from the controversy when asked if he believed the second strike on the survivors was necessary.
“Well, it looked like they were trying to turn back over the boat. But I don’t get involved in that. That’s up to them,” Trump said.
Though last week, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson spoke about Trump and Hegseth’s responsibility for the strike.
“At the end of the day, the president and the secretary are the ones directing these strikes, and any follow-up strikes that were directed by Adm. Bradley, the secretary 100% agrees with,” Wilson told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon on Dec. 2.
ABC Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang asked the president in the Oval Office on Dec. 3, “Will you release video of that strike — so that the American people can see for themselves?”
Trump responded, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release no problem.”
Officials have confirmed there were four military strikes against the alleged drug boat on Sept. 2, the first strike killing nine of the 11 people aboard. About 40 minutes later, a second strike was ordered to kill the two survivors. Two additional strikes were ordered to sink the boat, officials said.
Some Democrats and legal experts have suggested that the killing of survivors could constitute a war crime.
Hegseth, who was heading to Capitol Hill on Tuesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine to brief the “Gang of Eight” on national security matters, has not committed to releasing the video of the strike. The defense secretary cited concerns that releasing the video could expose sources or methods that would need to be protected.
Hegseth also has suggested the survivors killed posed an imminent threat.
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee who has seen the video of the strike, pushed back on the description provided by Hegseth and other Republicans.
Smith, during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, called the video “deeply disturbing” and said “it did not appear that these two survivors were in any position to continue the fight.”
Members of Congress are attempting to pass new legislation to force Hegseth to provide lawmakers the unedited footage of the strike.
Trump was asked in the interview with Politico if Hegseth should testify under oath about the Sept. 2 strike.
“I don’t care if he does. He can if he wants. I don’t care,” Trump said. He added that he believes Hegseth is “doing a great job.”
The Sept. 2 boat strike is part of what the administration has called its “war” on drug cartels. There have been more than 20 military strikes against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific, killing more than 80 people.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Mary Bruce contributed to this report.
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