Mark Kelly Claims DoD ‘Didn’t’ Mention Second Strike on Boat During ‘Evasive’ Congressional Brief

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) claimed Tuesday that the general counsel for the Department of Defense “didn’t say” there was a second strike on the suspected narco-trafficking vessel targeted on September 2 and “didn’t share all the information” when quizzed by congressional lawmakers during a previous brief on the subject.

Fallout over the mission has led legal experts to warn that the double-tap decision during the mission may have been “illegal” under international law after The Washington Post reported Saturday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly issued an order to “kill everybody” with a second strike, after an initial strike left two survivors clinging to the wreckage. Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley then reportedly carried out the order.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth both briefed a group of top congressional members behind closed doors in November on the campaign, which has seen more than a dozen strikes on boats along smuggling routes allegedly used by Venezuelan drug cartels.

Appearing on MS NOW’s Morning Joe on Tuesday, Kelly revealed that the general counsel for the Defense Department had seemed “evasive” despite “a bunch of questions” from lawmakers:

We need to get some more information from the general counsel of the Department of Defense. He came and briefed us several weeks ago about this specific strike. He didn’t share all the information with us. As I recall, he didn’t say that there was a second weapon used. We asked a bunch of questions. They seemed to me to be sort of evasive. Their legal analysis about this entire operation has a bunch of holes in it.

So I want to see the video. I want to see whatever transcript they have about what was said in the room, you know, at the time. I want to see the written order, we haven’t seen that yet. The legal analysis for the overall operation should be made public. There’s no reason why the American people shouldn’t see that.

The senator continued, adding that the administration had promised to be the “most transparent” and he would like to see that delivered in this case:

This president has said they’re going to be the most transparent, you know, White House and Pete Hegseth has said DoD is going to be transparent, but then he kicks out or requires members of the press to leave. You know, we need to shine a pretty bright light on what happened here and get to the bottom of it. And people need to be held accountable.

And I feel awful for members of the United States Navy. I served in the Navy for 25 years, I’ve been involved in operations like this. I’ve sunk two ships myself in the first Gulf War. Stuff like this should not happen. It’s pretty obvious that you do not execute survivors who are clinging on to a side of a ship.

Watch above via MS NOW.