A video capturing a U.S. military operation against a suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, which resulted in the deaths of two surviving crew members, has been described as “nothing remarkable” by the Republican head of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator Tom Cotton has indicated that he would not object to the video being made public if the Pentagon decides to declassify it.

Senator Cotton from Arkansas, who supports President Donald Trump’s initiative against alleged drug traffickers, finds himself somewhat in agreement with both Trump and leading Democrats on the issue of releasing the footage from the September 2nd strike. This operation marked the beginning of a series of U.S. military actions targeting vessels near Venezuela, which the administration claims were involved in drug trafficking. In total, 87 individuals have died in 22 documented strikes.

However, Cotton, who is one of the senior figures on national security committees briefed by the Navy admiral overseeing these operations, differs from Democrats regarding the legality of military personnel’s actions in carrying out a second strike, which killed the two survivors. The initial strike had already resulted in the deaths of nine other individuals on the boat.

Connecticut Representative Jim Himes, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, emphasized the importance of releasing the video. “The interpretation of the video sharply divided along party lines,” Himes noted. Having spent years reviewing videos of lethal actions, often in counter-terrorism contexts, he found this particular video to be deeply unsettling.

When questioned on Wednesday about the potential release of the video, President Trump expressed willingness, stating, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’d certainly release. No problem.” Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned in a Fox News interview at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library that the video is under review. He emphasized the need for responsibility in deciding what to make public.

“That boat was still a valid target,” Cotton said, arguing that releasing the video would prove that the two survivors of the initial strike remained a threat.

“It’s not gruesome. I didn’t find it distressing or disturbing,” he said, explaining why he does not have a problem with releasing all the footage. “It looks like any number of dozens of strikes we’ve seen on jeeps and pickup trucks in the Middle East over the years.” He added that “there’s nothing remarkable on that video, in my opinion.”

The classified sessions on Capitol Hill came after The Washington Post reported that Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley had ordered a follow-on attack that killed those survivors, to comply with Hegseth’s demands. Bradley told lawmakers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, but a video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions. Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and Himes are among those who have seen the video and they disputed Cotton’s characterization.

“I have no doubt that these guys were involved in the running of drugs. … But in that instance, these guys were about to die,” Himes said.

Smith added: “It did not appear that these two survivors were in any position to continue the fight.”

Himes said lawmakers are aware of the partisan divide.

Some legal experts have disputed that the United States is in an official armed conflict with Venezuela, raising questions about the legalities of using American military personnel for what would amount to law enforcement activities that require due process. Other experts have said that, regardless of the terms of engagement, international law does not allow further attacks on defenseless survivors of a previous attack. Specifically, Pentagon protocols say that firing upon the shipwrecked is illegal.

There have been questions and criticism of the mission raised by lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill, with inquiries ongoing.

Bradley told lawmakers in a closed session that he ordered the second attack on the wreckage of a boat that was carrying cocaine because it was believed that bales of the drug were still in the hull of the boat.

Cotton said Sunday that two final victims were “not in a shipwrecked state” or “floating helplessly in the water” but instead were “sitting or standing on top of a capsized boat.” Because they were “not incapacitated,” he said, “that boat, its cargo … remained valid targets.”

Smith, who saw the same video, said, “The boat was clearly incapacitated. A tiny portion of it remained capsized, the bow of the boat. They had no communications device. Certainly, they were unarmed.”

Cotton was on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Smith was on ABC’s “This Week” and Himes appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”