Trump denies saying he’d have ‘no problem’ releasing Venezuela strike footagepublished at 10:34 GMT
10:34 GMT
Lucy Gilder
BBC Verify senior journalist, reporting from Washington
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
Journalists asked questions of the US president during a White House roundtable event with farmers
On Monday, President Donald Trump was asked by an ABC News reporter whether he would release footage of a Venezuelan boat being hit by a second US strike on 2 September.
The reporter started by saying “you said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2nd off the coast of Venezuela. Secretary Hegseth now says” – before she was cut off by Trump.
“I didn’t say that. This is ABC fake news,” he said.
But just a few days before, on 3 December, when asked whether he would release footage of the second strike, Trump DID say he would have “no problem” with this, saying: “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release – no problem.”
This time he said, external , external“whatever, external he, external , external[Hegseth], external decides is okay with me”, external, and later described the reporter as “obnoxious”.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that officials were “reviewing” whether to release the footage. A video purportedly showing the first strike was posted by Trump on his Truth Social platform shortly after the operation ended.
There has been rising pressure on the administration to release footage of the second strike, which reportedly killed two survivors of the initial blast.
Several legal experts have told BBC Verify the so-called “double tap” attack likely violated international law.