Vindman pushing for ‘full investigation’ of Sept. 2 missile attack
A day after the U.S. military killed two survivors of a missile strike on their fishing boat off the coast of Venezuela, Pete Hegseth was on Fox News bragging that he had “watched it live.”
“I can’t disclose precisely how this went down. I can tell you it was precision. It was very well understood exactly what assets would be used in order to achieve the effect,” Hegseth said on the Sept. 3 edition of “Fox & Friends.”
Eugene Vindman, a Democrat who represents the Seventh District – a swath of the Northern Virginia and Richmond exurbs – in the U.S. House, is calling for a “full congressional investigation” into the Sept. 2 incident.
“Congress needs immediate access to the unredacted video of the strike as well as the radio communications tied to the orders that were given,” Vindman said in a statement.
Now that we know a second strike was ordered to kill the two survivors, Hegseth is trying to play dumb – while throwing Admiral Mitch Bradley, the Special Forces commander under his thumb on the day of the strikes, under the bus.
ICYMI
“Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2 mission and all others since,” Hegseth wrote on Twitter on Monday, seeming to think that blaming Bradley will absolve him when they appear in front of the military tribunal.
In case you were wondering: this was the crux of the illegal orders video that a group of congressional Democrats put out a couple of weeks back – the one that Hegseth, among others, said was treasonous.
Hegseth is trying to pin the final call on the second strike that killed the two survivors on Bradley, but ultimately, he’s the Defense Secretary, and the mission happened on his watch and at his direction.
That he felt compelled to brag about watching the attack live is just icing on the cake for the military prosecutors.
Jones asks for extension in background-check law appeal
Attorney General-elect Jay Jones is trying to get a state appeals court to extend the deadline on an appeal of a lower-court ruling striking down the Virginia background-check law, which the outgoing AG, feckless MAGA sycophant Jason Miyares, is leaving twisting in the wind.
“Virginians demanded an attorney general who will stand up for their safety, and that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Jones said in a statement issued on Monday. “Background checks save lives and are essential to keeping guns out of dangerous hands. This motion protects Virginia’s ability to appeal this ruling, defend our laws, and keep our communities safe from gun violence.”
Miyares, on his way out the door, has simply failed to file an appeal to the ruling in a case styled Wilson v. Hanley, which effectively eliminated the Commonwealth’s background check requirement on private firearm sales.
The deadline to file was Dec. 1, so, yesterday.
Jones was asking for an extension to Jan. 30; he is set to take office on Jan. 17.
Spanberger endorses Shannon Taylor in First District race
Henrico County prosecutor Shannon Taylor got a leg up in the crowded field for the Democratic Party nomination in the First District, securing the endorsement of Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger on Monday.
“As Henrico’s top prosecutor, Shannon Taylor has delivered justice with integrity, independence, and a deep commitment to the people she serves. For more than a decade, she has worked to keep families safe – prosecuting violent offenders, protecting victims, and standing firm against those who would do her community harm,” Spanberger said in a statement. “Now she’s ready to take that same fight to Washington. I’ve known Shannon for years, I’ve seen her work up close, and I know she will fight tirelessly for the hardworking families of Virginia’s 1st District. I am proud to endorse her campaign and to partner with her to deliver for Virginia.”
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Chris Graham
