Pentagon Claims It “Absolutely” Knows Who It Killed in Boat Strikes. Prove It, Lawmaker Says.

After Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson declared the War Department was certain about the identities of supposed drug intermediaries killed in boat strikes Rep Chrissy Houlahan D-Pa had a few questions about the intelligence When Houlahan called on Wilson to appear before Congress however the outspoken and controversial spokesperson suddenly went silent I can tell you that every single person who we have hit thus far who is in a drug boat carrying narcotics to the United States is a narcoterrorist Our intelligence has established that and we stand by it Wilson mentioned on Tuesday during a pseudo Pentagon press briefing where attendance was limited to media that have agreed to limits on the scope of their reporting O ur intelligence absolutely confirms who these people are she declared I can tell you that without a shadow of a doubt every single one of our military and civilian lawyers knows that these individuals are narcoterrorists In unique comments to The Intercept Houlahan expressed her doubts and demanded proof If there is intelligence that absolutely confirms this present it Come before the House or Senate Intelligence committees and let Congress provide the proper oversight and checks and balances the American people deserve declared Houlahan who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Put the whispers and doubts to rest once and for all If there is intelligence to absolutely confirm this the Congress is ready to receive it Until we all see it you can surely understand why we are skeptical Both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence both of which Houlahan serves on routinely receive classified briefings from the military Wilson who touted a new era of working to keep the American people informed and to ensure transparency on Tuesday did not respond to questions or requests for comment from The Intercept about Houlahan s remarks or appearing before Congress In past classified briefings to lawmakers and Congressional staff the military has admitted that it does not know exactly who it s killing in the boat strikes according to seven regime officers who have spoken with The Intercept Related How Multiple People Has the U S Killed in Boat Strikes Rep Sara Jacobs D-Calif also a member of the House Armed Services Committee commented that Pentagon functionaries who briefed her admitted that the administration does not know the identities of all the individuals who were killed in the strikes They announced that they do not need to positively identify individuals on the vessels to do the strikes Jacobs communicated The Intercept in October They just need to show a connection to a DTO or affiliate she added using shorthand for designated terrorist organizations the Trump administration s term for the secret list of groups with whom it asserts to be at war Twenty-One Attacks The military has carried out known attacks destroying boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September and killing at least civilians It has not conducted a strike on a vessel since November Since the strikes began experts in the laws of war and members of Congress from both parties say the strikes are illegal extrajudicial killings because the military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians even suspected criminals who do not pose an imminent threat of violence The summary executions mark a major departure from typical practice in the long-running U S war on drugs where law enforcement agencies arrest suspected drug handlers A double-tap strike during the initial September attack where the U S hit an incapacitated boat for a second time killing two survivors clinging to the wreckage added a second layer of illegality to strikes that experts and lawmakers say are already tantamount to murder The double-tap strike was first announced by The Intercept War Secretary Pete Hegseth has been under increasing fire for that strike The Washington Post in recent days disclosed that Hegseth personally ordered the follow-up attack giving a spoken order to kill everybody Hegseth acknowledged U S forces conducted a follow-up strike on the alleged drug boat during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday but distanced himself from the killing of people struggling to stay afloat I didn t personally see survivors Hegseth reported reporters noting that he watched live footage of the attack The thing was on fire It was exploded in fire and smoke You can t see it He added This is called the fog of war Hegseth stated Adm Frank M Bradley then the commander of Joint Special Operations Command or JSOC and now head of Special Operations Command made the right call in ordering the second strike which the war secretary claimed came after he himself left the room In a report to The Intercept earlier this week Special Operations Command pushed back on the contention that Bradley ordered a double-tap attack Related Department of War Disputes Second Attack on Boat Strike Survivors Was a Double-Tap He does not see his actions on SEP as a double tap Col Allie Weiskopf the director of masses affairs at Special Operations Command advised The Intercept on Tuesday Bradley and Gen Dan Caine the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are slated to go to Capitol Hill on Thursday to answer questions about the attack amid an ongoing uproar Congressional staffers say that Bradley is right now slated to only meet with House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers R-Ala and ranking member Rep Adam Smith D-Wash along with the Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker R-Miss and ranking member Sen Jack Reed D-R I The Seditious Six Houlahan was one of six Democratic members of Congress who appeared in a video late last month reminding members of the military of their duty not to obey illegal orders President Donald Trump called for the group to face arrest and trial or even execution saying the video amounted to SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS Wilson during her faux press briefing delivered to mostly administration cheerleaders after outlets from the New York Times to Fox News relinquished their press passes rather than agree to restrictions that constrain reporters First Amendment rights called out Houlahan and her fellow lawmakers in the video T he Seditious Six urged members of our military to defy their chain of command in an unprecedented treasonous and shameful conspiracy to sow distrust and chaos in our armed forces noted Wilson She went on to call the video a politically motivated influence operation that puts our warfighters at hazard Hegseth described the members of Congress s video as despicable reckless and false Hegseth himself however had delivered a similar message recorded in footage revealed by CNN on Tuesday If you re doing something that is just absolutely unlawful and ruthless then there is a consequence for that That s why the military revealed it won t follow unlawful orders from their commander-in-chief Hegseth stated an audience in the footage There s a standard there s an ethos there s a belief that we are above what so a large number of things that our enemies or others would do Related Entire Chain of Command Could Be Held Liable for Killing Boat Strike Survivors Sources Say Wilson did not reply to a request for comment about Hegseth s remarks Hegseth is also on the hotseat after the Pentagon s Inspector General s Office determined that he risked the safety of U S facility members by sharing sensitive military information on the Signal messaging app according to a source familiar with the forthcoming analysis by the Pentagon watchdog The record which is expected to be circulated on Thursday was launched after a journalist at The Atlantic revealed he had been added to a chat on the encrypted messaging app in which Hegseth and other top agents were discussing plans for U S airstrikes in Yemen that also killed civilians The post Pentagon Maintains It Absolutely Knows Who It Killed in Boat Strikes Prove It Lawmaker Says appeared first on The Intercept