Two members of Maine's congressional delegation, Sen. Angus King and Rep. Jared Golden, will be involved in investigations into a follow-up airstrike that killed two survivors from a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
Both Golden and King as well as Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Chellie Pingree have strong concerns about the reports that either Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or a military official in charge of the operation authorized the double-strike against the survivors.
Golden, a Democrat representing Maine's 2nd District, serves on the House Armed Services Committee while King, an independent, serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Both Republican and Democratic leaders of those committees have vowed to investigate the September incident that killed 11 alleged drug traffickers.
King, who also serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Monday that lawmakers will interview people up and down the chain of command who were involved in the decision to launch a second strike against the two individuals.
"The law is clear," King said. "If the facts are, as have been alleged, that there was a second strike specifically to kill the individuals . . . in the water, that's a stone-cold war crime. It's also murder. So the real question is who gave which orders, when were they given. That's what we are going to get to the bottom of."
Golden, a Marine Corps veteran who served in combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan, agreed about the need to know who gave the orders, when -- and why. Golden said in a statement that the reports of a strike targeting survivors "underline the need for a full airing of the facts — especially given the lack of transparency from the Trump administration."
"The House Armed Services Committee’s job is to conduct oversight of the Pentagon, and I support the bipartisan call for a full investigation," Golden said. "Accountability starts with transparency."
The September 2 incident was the first of multiple military strikes in recent months on boats that the Trump administration says were carrying "narco-terrorists" intent on smuggling illegal drugs into the U.S. The administration claims more than 80 people have been killed. Some experts have questioned the legality of the killings. But the apparent double-strike on the two survivors — rather than rescuing them and taking them prisoner — is viewed by some as a potential war crime and a violation of the uniform code of military justice.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who represents Maine's 1st District, called the administration's legal justification for the strikes on boats "flimsy." In a video posted on social media, Pingree said "there is a lot to be answered for" about the Trump administration's entire build-up of military infrastructure around Venezuela.
"Now remember, this is done in our name," Pingree said. "That's why it is so important that even Republicans now are calling for investigations. So hopefully this week the committees will have investigations, we'll heard first-hand about what went on that day. And perhaps this is a way to unravel what is going on in Venezuela."
Collins, a Republican who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the Bangor Daily News on Monday that she supports the efforts to find out the facts surrounding the September incident.
“Secretary Hegseth’s alleged actions warrant vigorous oversight,” Collins said in a statement to the paper.
