By Matt Underwood House committee seeks ‘full accounting’ of boat strike after WaPo ‘kill everybody’ report, and it’s about time someone demanded it. The revelation that a House committee is launching a probe into the boat strike, following the Washington Post’s report that included the chilling phrase “kill everybody,” is frankly, a bit astonishing. Considering the nature of the allegations – potential violations of the Geneva Conventions and a blatant disregard for human life – a “full accounting” should have been demanded the moment the first report surfaced. It’s almost unbelievable that this only gained traction after the press dropped the bombshell, as if they were hoping the incident would simply fade away. The fact that the Senate Armed Services Committee, a bipartisan panel, is now involved suggests this is a serious matter, and the committee’s very existence should be considered a good thing.
The sequence of events, as it appears, involves Trump’s boasting about the attacks, followed by a cryptic warning from Senator Mark Kelly and others to the troops, and then the release of the video, ultimately leading to the investigation. The fact that democrats played this smart is commendable. The whole situation with Venezuela feels like it could erupt into a terrible disaster and deserves careful oversight. The fact that such a phrase, “kill everybody,” could be uttered in an official capacity is alarming. The bar for oversight feels incredibly low, and this is the kind of order that should have been outright refused. Everyone involved needs to be held accountable, and a court-martial seems appropriate.
The publication of the report by WaPo, frankly, comes as a surprise. The article and the reported events are pretty troubling, and one has to wonder about the scope of these activities, and what else they are doing and hoping we don’t find out. The fact that such a figure as Hegseth, a Fox News host with questionable qualifications, was in a position of power and seemingly treating this as a game is not appropriate. One can only imagine the kind of deflection and denial that will be employed, ranging from denying the statements were made, to claiming they were misinterpreted, to insisting the context justified the actions. The potential for a pardon would be a miscarriage of justice. If Hegseth is pardoned, the next administration should absolutely send him to Venezuela to face trial.
It’s disheartening that a probe wasn’t opened after the first attack. The congress’s passivity with regard to the military is a serious concern, a situation they’ve created themselves. Their repeated failures to exercise the War Powers Act under multiple administrations underscore their weakness. They essentially made the president a de facto king. I am not optimistic about any real consequences, but the fact that they’re even willing to open a probe is a surprise. I’m hoping that something good may come of it, but not holding my breath.
The allegations that Hegseth violated the Geneva Conventions by ordering the attacks in the first place are deeply troubling. The audits often happen only after reports come out, as if the facts were intentionally hidden. It’s easy to picture the initial incident, fueled by recklessness, alcohol, and perhaps other substances, leading to a disastrous outcome. The hope is that the incident gets swept under the rug and forgotten, and hopefully, not much is being covered up. It’s hard to imagine what other instances of abuses may have occurred.
The response from some individuals – dismissing the victims as terrorists or justifying the actions – is appalling. The incident isn’t simply a case of collateral damage. If a committee truly desires a “full accounting”, there needs to be a rigorous investigation, and justice must prevail. It is a disgrace that the US has apparently been committing war crimes in the Caribbean for several months, and only now is something being done about it because of the unflattering nature of the press coverage. The evidence is clear, and the facts speak for themselves. The follow-up on the survivors is equally disturbing.