House Republican drops his inquiry into Sept. 2 boat strikes

(WASHINGTON) — Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is dropping his end of a bipartisan probe into the military’s Sept. 2 strike that killed two survivors in the Caribbean, his spokesperson said Wednesday.

“The video and classified briefings from the Pentagon were sufficient to convince Chairman Rogers that this was a legal action,” the spokesperson told ABC News in an email. “He’s also been clear that this information needs to be shared with the rest of HASC’s members, and we expect that to happen next week.”

Rogers was among a group of lawmakers who viewed the video of the second strike during a classified briefing.

The spokesperson added that Rogers’ decision was not arbitrary.

“He sought and received the information needed and wants our members to have access to that too,” the spokesperson said.

Rogers’ decision to end his part in the congressional inquiry came after he talked privately on Tuesday with Adm. Alvin Holsey, the top commander of U.S. Southern Command who announced he plans to retire after less than a year on the job. A Pentagon official told ABC News that Holsey was “asked to retire on good terms.”

Rogers also was among those who viewed the video of the second strike during a classified briefing.

Rogers’ decision does not put an end to congressional questions into the incident, as Democrats and now several Senate Republicans are calling on the administration to release the full video of the Sept. 2 strike on an alleged drug boat.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, last month previously promised “vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

Wicker has notably been more willing to challenge the Pentagon’s handling of several issues than most Republicans, including military aid to Ukraine.

Wicker’s spokesman did not respond to questions about where the inquiry stands. 

Reed told ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang earlier this week that he still has major questions about the Sept. 2 strike, and that the Trump administration is refusing to provide answers. Reed is calling for the video of the strike to be declassified and made public.

“I think anybody who saw that video would be quite disturbed about it,” Reed said.

Lawmakers say that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told them behind closed doors on Tuesday that he’s still reviewing whether he can release video of the strike without compromising classified information.

Democrats said that didn’t make sense because Hegseth was willing to release video of the initial strike, which was posted to President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account. 

Trump on Monday backtracked on releasing the video of the Sept. 2 strike that killed two survivors as he attempted to distance himself from the controversy.

Politico first reported Rogers’ intention on Tuesday.