WATCH: Rep. Keating blasts alleged drug boat strikes in Hegseth and Caine hearing — Transcript

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1. 0:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to talk briefly about the current
2. 0:03US doctrine and conduct of the administration in a particular event
3. 0:06and and a series of events actually, as everybody in the dioce in
4. 0:10the witness table is aware the Department of Defense law of war manual
5. 0:16specifies that any order to kill shipwrecked persons in a legal order.
6. 0:21would constitute a war crime. It isn't suggested there's a specific
7. 0:26example to show a clear cut uh example of what this entails in our
8. 0:32own manual. With that in mind, let's look back a few weeks ago when
9. 0:37a fishing crew ended a long day of hard fishing, scoring a full stock
10. 0:41of albacore and swordfish on board. Without any warning or expectation,
11. 0:47this small Ecuadorian fishing vessel operating about 200 nautical
12. 0:51miles off the Galapagos Islands was militarily engaged by US forces.
13. 0:57It was hit once, then it was hit again. Not a warning shot, not an
14. 1:00interdiction. Two drone strikes. Survivors described chaos and severe
15. 1:06injuries. Our US forces then handcuffed the crew at gunpoint, placed
16. 1:10black hoods over their heads, seized and scrubbed their devices,
17. 1:14and then held them for days. Ultimately the crew was released, given
18. 1:19there was no evidence, no evidence to support any
19. 1:23narco activity or any charges that may be against them. So to recap,
20. 1:28we struck a vessel, we struck it again, set fire to it as it was
21. 1:31sinking. and as public reports say even drank their beer. We, we
22. 1:36detained the survivors and then we let them go. This should be eye-opening
23. 1:41Let's go to another example, the double tap or two strike attack
24. 1:45that took place on September 2nd in the Caribbean. A vessel was struck,
25. 1:50disabled, and then struck again, killing all but two survivors that
26. 1:54were left clinging to the wreckage. And this is the thing
27. 1:59we know this happened
28. 2:01We know how it happened and the Defense Department still refuses
29. 2:04to release the follow-up video of the killing of the shipwrecked
30. 2:08survivors, even though they released the initial one.
31. 2:12to the public in major news networks worldwide.
32. 2:16No difference in sources and methods in the two videos, but still
33. 2:20not released to the public. Of course, the backlash was severe at
34. 2:24the time and perhaps it's been forgotten, and impractable, uh, but
35. 2:28ennoble display of character from this administration. Fingers were
36. 2:32pointed at one another as everyone scurried to cover, and a tacic
37. 2:35acknowledgement that this was an issue potentially violating international
38. 2:40law. Now I've reviewed what's been available. The phony rationale
39. 2:44that this these attacks are about fentanyl trafficking. When we know
40. 2:50fentanyl comes from
41. 2:52China
42. 2:53India, through Mexico. Then the baseless argument that this was about
43. 2:57narco-terrorism. You know, I don't believe a word of it. This was
44. 3:01to create leverage
45. 3:03for regime change in Venezuela. and now the president acknowledged
46. 3:08that was about oil. Beyond the simple need for justice and exercising
47. 3:14American values. It's important for us to discuss what the US belligerents
48. 3:19in the world stage means to our security, our ability to marshal
49. 3:23cooperation with our allies, and most importantly, not to normalize
50. 3:28these actions that could endanger the lives of our own service members
51. 3:33put in similar peril. Let me be clear about one thing
52. 3:39Whether it's these particular strikes discussed here, the one that
53. 3:43killed 11 others off the coast of Venezuela was the 178 other killings
54. 3:48with each of these extrajudicial killings. The administration is
55. 3:53pirating American values. We continue
56. 3:57to investigate this We will It'll come forward in the future. Some
57. 4:02days those that second video will be released.
58. 4:06but we've got to stop also using our precious resources
59. 4:11that are being taxed so heavily all over the world on actions that
60. 4:14hurt our military. They hurt our military and they hurt our standing
61. 4:20internationally. and they're hurting our standard here at home.
62. 4:26I hope that we can move forward. I hope we're gonna review whether
63. 4:31these are justified because I found no justification We were given
64. 4:36classified information on the 2nd strike. I can't discuss it, but
65. 4:41I must tell you, it's the most convoluted bullshit I ever heard in
66. 4:45my life. This should be public. This is our honor. This is what it
67. 4:49makes American a difference maker. This is what we're incredible
68. 4:53array of false accusations, and I incredible gentleman