Overview
- During a White House farm-aid roundtable, ABC’s Rachel Scott asked if the president would commit to releasing the full video of a Sept. 2 suspected drug-boat strike.
- Trump called Scott “the most obnoxious reporter,” said the release decision is up to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and disputed that he previously said releasing it would be “no problem,” while labeling ABC “fake news.”
- The full footage has not been released as of Monday; Trump has touted more than 20 anti-smuggling strikes since early September and claimed a 94% drop in drug boats.
- The Sept. 2 operation initially killed nine people, and critics allege a second strike targeted survivors; Hegseth has denied ordering illegal action.
- The Washington Post reported Hegseth told forces to “kill everybody,” a chronology challenged by The New York Times and by Adm. Frank Bradley as relayed by Rep. Jim Himes.