Dem Adam Smith claims boat strike footage disproves GOP narrative as 'ridiculous'
Rep. Adam Smith describes what he saw in the video of the second U.S. strike against one suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/unyqHP4G2m
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 7, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC: The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee declared on Sunday, December 7, that surveillance video of a controversial US military strike would completely dismantle the Republican narrative if released to the public.
Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash), one of the reportedly few lawmakers to have viewed the footage of the September 2 strike on an alleged t*******ing vessel, appeared on ABC's 'This Week' to push back against claims made by the administration.
Smith described the video of the second strike, which allegedly killed two survivors, as "deeply disturbing" and insisted it contradicted descriptions provided by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senator Tom Cotton.
Clashing narratives over survivors' intent
"When they [the survivors] were finally taken out, they weren’t trying to flip the boat over. The boat was clearly incapacitated," Smith said.
"They had no communications device. Certainly, they were unarmed. Any claim that the d***s had somehow survived that attack is hard, hard to really square with what we saw," he added.
Smith’s account stands in stark contrast to the version of events offered by GOP leaders.
NBC News’ Kristen Welker: “How was that follow-up strike of two survivors legal?”
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) December 7, 2025
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR): “They were not incapacitated. They were not in the water, surviving only because they had a life jacket or hanging to a plank of wood. They were sitting on that boat. They… pic.twitter.com/wFnMzS9G21
Senator Tom Cotton, who also viewed the footage, previously told reporters he saw "two survivors trying to flip a boat loaded with d***s... back over so they could stay in the fight."
Secretary Hegseth also defended the "double tap" strike at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday, claiming that he was told there was "access to radios" and a potential link-up with another boat.
When asked about Hegseth's comments, Smith was blunt, "That's ridiculous. There are no radios."
"The boat was adrift. It was going where the current was going to take it, and these two were trying to figure out how to survive," Smith argued.
Trump administration stalls on video release
While President Trump previously stated the administration would have "no problem" releasing the video, Hegseth struck a more cautious tone on Saturday, citing the need to be "very responsible."
Smith argued that the hesitation speaks volumes.
"It seems pretty clear they don't want to release this video because they don't want people to see it, because it's very, very difficult to justify," Smith said.
Senator Eric Schmitt defends the legality of strikes
In a separate interview on 'This Week,' Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo) defended the administration's actions, though he admitted he has not seen the specific video in question.
Schmitt argued that President Trump is acting within his Article II powers to target "n****-t********s" now that cartels have moved operations to the high seas.
"No serious legal expert would doubt that the president has authority to blow n****-t********s out of the water," Schmitt asserted.
He cited a classified 40-page memo from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) that allegedly authorizes the strikes, though Democrats have demanded the document be made public.
Smith warned that such a broad definition of "legitimate target" sets a dangerous precedent.
"If you say anyone who has d***s... is a legitimate target for deadly force, the amount of power that gives the president and the US military is unprecedented," Smith cautioned.
