1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand the immediate and complete release of video footage from the September 2 missile strikes on a vessel in the Caribbean. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's refusal to commit to releasing this footage during the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library forum raises serious questions about transparency and accountability that must be answered. According to the Washington Post, eleven people were killed in the initial strike, followed by a second missile that killed two survivors attempting to climb back onto the vessel. Sources familiar with video shown to congressional lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Thursday reported that these two survivors were waving overhead before the second strike killed them. This detail is critical to understanding whether this action may constitute a war crime under international law, as some legal experts have suggested. President Trump stated on Wednesday that "whatever they have we'll certainly release, no problem," yet Secretary Hegseth continues to delay, claiming the Pentagon needs to be "very responsible" about any release decision. This contradiction is unacceptable. The American people have a right to see what was done in their name, particularly when 87 people have been killed across 22 vessel strikes and the administration has provided no evidence that these vessels were actually trafficking drugs. The closed-door congressional briefing is insufficient. While lawmakers like Senator Tom Cotton and Representative Jim Himes received access, their constituents deserve the same transparency. Admiral Frank Bradley and General Dan Caine briefed Congress, but the public remains in the dark about operations that may violate international humanitarian law. I urge you to use your position to demand immediate public release of all video footage from the September 2 strikes. Transparency is not optional when questions of war crimes and extrajudicial killings are at stake. The administration's own president supports release. There is no justification for continued secrecy.