Senator Angus King (I-ME) is calling for the full release of military footage related to a deadly U.S. drone strike in the Caribbean Sea, warning that the killing of unarmed shipwreck survivors — as described in recent reports — could constitute a war crime.
Appearing on MS NOW’s Morning Joe Monday, King responded to host Mika Brzezinski’s question about the controversial strike, which reportedly involved two unarmed men waving at a U.S. aircraft before being killed in a second strike. The first strike had already disabled their boat.
“That account does [describe a war crime],” King said. “The U.S. Defense Department Manual of War… uses as the example of a clear violation: killing survivors of a shipwreck.”
Reports, including a detailed account in The Atlantic, claim that a full 40 minutes passed between the first and second strikes. King emphasized that only a small number of lawmakers have seen the full footage and that the public deserves transparency. “We need to see all of that. We need to see the logs of the decisions,” he said.
King also criticized military commentator Pete Hegseth, who reportedly showcased footage of the first strike on Fox News the day after the September 3 incident. “You can’t say, ‘We can’t show the second one,’” King said, arguing the government cannot selectively withhold evidence from the public and Congress.
“If these men were unarmed, shipwrecked, and signaling surrender — and were still targeted — then that’s not just morally wrong, it’s a violation of international law,” King added.
