Mike Johnson says boat strike hit "able-bodied" survivors, operation "entirely appropriate"
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson reviewed classified footage and received a briefing on the Sept. 2 U.S. military boat strikes targeting Venezuelan drug traffickers, affirming the strikes were lawful and appropriate.
- Johnson stated that two survivors of the initial strike, who were later killed in a follow-on attack, were "able-bodied" and attempting to recover narcotics and signal another vessel, not helpless castaways.
- The follow-on strike was ordered by Adm. Frank Bradley after consulting military legal counsel, with Johnson emphasizing that the operation followed established protocols and legal standards.
- Some Democrats and legal experts have raised concerns that targeting shipwrecked survivors might constitute a war crime, interpreting their gestures as calls for help, but Republicans dispute this characterization
