REP. BILL KEATING (D-MA): As everybody on the dais and the witness table is aware, the Department of Defense law of war manual specifies that any order to kill shipwrecked persons in an illegal order would constitute a war crime.

It isn’t suggested, there’s a specific example to show– a clear-cut example of what this entails in our own manual.

With that in mind, let’s look back a few weeks ago when a fishing crew ended a long day of hard fishing, scoring a full stock of albacore and swordfish on board.

Without any warning or expectation, this small Ecuadorian fishing vessel, operating about 200 nautical miles off the Galapagos Islands, was militarily engaged by U.S. forces.

It was hit once, then it was hit again. Not a warning shot, not an interdiction, two drone strikes. Survivors described chaos and severe injuries.

Our U.S. forces then handcuffed the crew at gunpoint, placed black hoods over their heads, seized and scrubbed their devices, and then held them for days.

Ultimately, the crew was released, given there was no evidence, no evidence to support any Narco activity or any charges that may be against them.

So to recap. We struck a vessel, we struck it again. Set fire to it as it was sinking. And as public reports say, even drank their beer.

We detained the survivors and then we let them go. This should be eye-opening.

Let’s go to another example. The double-tap or two-strike attack that took place on September 2nd in the Caribbean. A vessel was struck, disabled, and then struck again, killing all but two survivors that were left clinging to the wreckage.

And this is the thing. We know this happened. We know how it happened. And the Defense Department still refuses to release the follow-up video of the killing of the shipwrecked survivors even though they released the initial one to the public and major news networks worldwide.

No difference in sources and methods in the two videos, but still not released to the the public. Of course, the backlash was severe at the time and perhaps is being forgotten.

In a predictable but ignoble display of character from this administration, fingers were pointed at one another as everyone scurried to cover in a tacit acknowledgement that this was an issue potentially violating international law.

Now I’ve reviewed what’s been available, the phony rationale that these attacks are about fentanyl trafficking when we know fentanyl comes from through Mexico.

Then the baseless argument that this was about narco-terrorism. You know, I don’t believe a word of it. This was to create leverage for regime change in Venezuela. And now the president acknowledged that was about oil.

Beyond the simple need for justice and exercising American values, it’s important for us to discuss what the U.S. belligerence in the world stage means to our security, our ability to marshal cooperation with our allies, and most importantly, not to normalize these actions that could endanger the lives of our own service members put in similar peril.

Let me be clear about one thing. Whether it’s these particular strikes discussed here, the one that killed 11 others off the coast of Venezuela, whether it’s the 178 other killings, with each of these extrajudicial killings the administration is pirating American values.

We’ll continue to investigate this. We will. It’ll come forward in the future. Some days those, that second video will be released.

But we’ve got to stop also using our precious resources that are being taxed so heavily all over the world on actions that hurt our military.

They hurt our our military and they hurt our standing internationally and they’re hurting our standard here at home.

I hope that we can move forward. I hope we can review whether these are justified because I found no justification.

We were given classified information on the second strike. I can’t discuss it. But I must tell you, it’s the most convoluted bullsh*t I ever heard in my life!

This should be public! This is our honor. This is what it makes American a difference maker. This is what we’re proud of!

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH: It’s an incredible array of false accusations!

REP. BILL KEATING (D-MA): And I yield back my time.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH: Incredible!

REP. BILL KEATING (D-MA): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.