A minister under pressure - a video that allows no excuses and an admiral who loses all credibility

The day brought a series of statements that deepen the image of a defense secretary who has crossed boundaries - politically, militarily, and in matters of security. While Senate and House committees investigate Hegseth’s role, it becomes clear how far apart the assessments are. The Republican chair of the Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, said Hegseth had acted “within his authority” when he sent operational details via Signal. His Democratic counterpart Jack Reed saw the opposite: he spoke of a clear violation of regulations and a “reckless disregard for the safety of American soldiers.” Anyone else, Reed said, would face “severe consequences, including possible prosecution.”

Admiral Bradley and General Caine appeared at 8:33 a.m. on Capitol Hill, a quiet moment that nevertheless reflects the urgency hanging over this day. Two top military leaders whose decisions in the Caribbean are now at the center of a political earthquake enter the building without a word, accompanied only by the clicking of cameras. For the Intelligence Committee, every detail counts today, every explanation, every excuse less. Behind closed doors the subject will be responsibility, chains of command, and the silence of an apparatus that prefers to leave itself unchecked. The early appearance shows how much the pressure has grown – and how many in Washington know that the answers can no longer wait.

While this debate rages in the Senate, Jim Himes sat in the intelligence room of the House of Representatives watching a video that can hardly be relativized. Two men, exhausted, injured, without any ability to move, sit in a destroyed boat. “Admiral Bradley has a remarkable career and he has my respect,” Himes said. But what followed left the room silent:

“But what I saw there was one of the most troubling things I have seen in my entire time in public service. Two people, clearly in distress, without any means of locomotion, in a destroyed boat - were killed by the United States.”

“The video will, I believe, answer all of the questions that are currently out there, and the legal opinion will lay out the basis for the entire operation,” Reed said.

These sentences reflect not only shock but the sobering realization that an operation may have spiraled out of control.

FOX: “Congressman Jim Himes (D) said they were shown the unedited video of the second strike - and he stated: ‘What I saw in that room is among the most troubling scenes I have seen in my entire public career.’” (Even FOX NEWS carried the quote, an unusual occurrence for that network) ‚Was ich in diesem Raum gesehen habe, gehört zu den beunruhigendsten Szenen, die ich in meiner gesamten öffentlichen Laufbahn gesehen habe.‘“ (Selbst FOX NEWS übernahm das Zitat, ein nicht alltäglicher Vorgang bei diesem Sender)

Against this backdrop, the statement that leaked from the Senate is hardly reassuring. Admiral Frank Bradley said in the classified briefing that there had been no such formulated “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Hegseth. But he left open how exactly the order was worded. That not only raises questions about his credibility, but builds toward the next question: “How else should the order have been worded, looking at the footage and the course of events? And: ‘What else was Bradley supposed to say?’” Senator Tom Cotton defended the operation and called the second strike justified. But the Democratic lawmakers see it differently - especially after viewing the video that shows the final minutes of the two survivors. That a military order allegedly did not contain those exact words does not change the fact that the United States killed two unarmed men who posed no threat after the first strike.

See also our article: “The operation no one is allowed to talk about - and the man who triggered it - an investigative report” - at the link: https://kaizen-blog.org/en/die-operation-ueber-die-niemand-sprechen-darf-und-der-mann-der-sie-ausgeloest-hat-eine-investigative-recherche/

At the same time, the inspector general’s report was released - and it casts another spotlight on Hegseth’s handling of responsibility. The report criticizes the use of unauthorized apps across the entire Defense Department. Particularly explosive: Hegseth sent details about an upcoming airstrike in Yemen two to four hours before the operation. Number of jets, exact flight times, operational sequences - all in a Signal group. The report makes clear that this disclosure increased the risk of mission failure and the danger to American pilots. These were not “harmless details,” as Hegseth later claimed. That he then wrote: “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission,” looked like an attempt to hide his own mistakes behind big words. See also our article: “Accidentally in the war council - how the Trump administration revealed its military strikes to a journalist via Signal” - at the link: https://kaizen-blog.org/en/aus-versehen-im-kriegsrat-wie-die-trump-regierung-einem-journalisten-ihre-militaerschlaege-ueber-signal-verriet/

The sum of events creates an image that can no longer be smoothed over. A video showing two helpless men. A minister who sends sensitive operational data via private channels. A Congress oscillating between downplaying and alarm. And an admiral who is respected and yet stands at the center of an operation whose legality and his own credibility are now seriously in question. The coming days will determine whether Washington is ready to ask these questions openly - or whether the doors will close again and the public will be fed with half-truths.

To be continued .....