Lawmakers are reeling after a classified briefing in which they were shown video of a US strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat. Behind closed doors, military officials displayed the footage to members of Congress, contradicting initial reports that claimed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given orders to kill everyone on board.
According to multiple lawmakers who attended the briefing, there was no such order issued by Hegseth. The videos showed the aftermath of two strikes on the vessel, which was allegedly carrying cocaine from Venezuela to the US. However, officials stated that they followed standard protocols and procedures after determining that the ship posed a threat to American interests.
It remains unclear what exactly led the US military to strike the alleged drug boat in the first place. The briefings have raised questions about how lawmakers were initially informed of the strikes, as well as whether officials at the Pentagon had acted with complete transparency regarding their actions.
According to multiple lawmakers who attended the briefing, there was no such order issued by Hegseth. The videos showed the aftermath of two strikes on the vessel, which was allegedly carrying cocaine from Venezuela to the US. However, officials stated that they followed standard protocols and procedures after determining that the ship posed a threat to American interests.
It remains unclear what exactly led the US military to strike the alleged drug boat in the first place. The briefings have raised questions about how lawmakers were initially informed of the strikes, as well as whether officials at the Pentagon had acted with complete transparency regarding their actions.
... I mean, can't they just be transparent for once? So now we're hearing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't actually give the order to kill everyone on board and yet initially there were reports saying he did. Like, who's in charge here? It's all so confusing. And what about the video footage itself? It's been shown behind closed doors to lawmakers but not made public for some reason. I don't get it 
... Can we please just have a clear explanation of what happened instead of all these backpedals and unclear protocols? This just smells like a cover-up to me 
. we need more transparency, fam 
... can't have our elected officials in the dark about what's really happening at the pentagon 
... how can that be? Don't we, as a country, value transparency and accountability? I think it's time for a thorough investigation into this whole thing to get to the bottom of it.
. i mean, i get that its venezuela and all, but come on... we already know the us is involved in some shady stuff over there. doesnt surprise me that things are shrouded in secrecy 
. and then theres this huge controversy about transparency... its all just a bit too much for me 
. I mean, if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't give orders to kill everyone on board, then what did? It's like they were trying to cover something up without even telling Congress 
.
and now lawmakers are freaking out because they got played 
how do we even know what really went down here? I mean, it's like they're trying to spin this into something about protocols and procedures... but at the end of the day, someone needs to take responsibility for making a split-second decision that puts innocent lives in danger 
to me. I mean, who issues a briefing on a classified topic behind closed doors? It's not exactly transparent, you know? And then you got these lawmakers going "wait, I thought it was different" 
. It's time we get to the bottom of this and have a real discussion about how our government operates. Anything less is just too little, too late 
Anyway, it's all pretty confusing right now... need some clarity on this one... 
they were so cheesy but at the same time kinda awesome 
and it got me thinking, what's the deal with how much we rely on technology these days? I mean, think about it, if all our devices died tomorrow, would we even know what to do? 
lololol
They showed us the footage behind closed doors and it's like, super sketchy! 
How do we know they followed standard protocols? We need more info, fam! 
. As students, we're already dealin' with a lot, but this stuff on the world stage is just crazy. 
Can't we all just have some transparency and answers? 
. Either way, you'd think they'd be more careful about who they share their plans with in the first place 
I'm low-key freakin' out over here. The Pentagon's all secretive about it and stuff, and it's just not cool. Can we get some deets on this already? 
[Image of a cat with a shocked expression]
[Image of a person getting hit by a truck]
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[Image of a confused-looking person with a question mark above their head]
[GIF of a magnifying glass on fire]
i mean, i get it, national security and all that but come on, transparency is key, right? 
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