Sen. Tim Kaine says he plans to refile his resolution demanding there be no war against Venezuela without congressional approval and expressed confidence it could pass givenrecent developmentsin the Trump administration's escalating campaign against the South American country.
"It failed, but that was before all of these assets have amassed around Venezuela, and before President Trump said that the airspace needs to be closed," Kaine said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Kaine also said he plans to reintroduce the war powers resolution that he and Democratic colleague Adam Schiff introduced in October that block the use of U.S. military force in the Caribbean Sea without an Authorization of Military Force by Congress.
Ramping up pressure, Trump says Venezuela airspace should be considered closed
"The circumstances have changed in the months since we had that vote. In each of these instances, we were able to get two Republicans to vote together with Democrats," Kaine said. "We think the escalating pace and some of the recent revelations, so, for example, the recent revelation about the 'kill everyone' order apparently dictated by Secretary Hegseth. We do believe that we will get more support for these motions when they are refiled."
Kaine was referencing a Washington Post report that Hegseth allegedly gave an order ahead of a Sept. 2 operation in the Caribbean Sea for the military to kill everyone aboard a suspected drug boat. After an initial strike left two survivors, the commander leading the operation reportedly complied with Hegseth's alleged directive by ordering a second strike, according to the Post report.
Hegseth defended the U.S. military's operations targeting the boats in the wake of the Post report, which ABC News has not confirmed the details of.
One person familiar with details of the Sept. 2 incident confirmed to ABC News that there were survivors from an initial strike on the boat and that those survivors were killed in subsequent strikes.ABC News has not confirmed, though, the specifics of the orders.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he would not have wanted a second strike to kill survivors, but was adamant that Hegseth denied ordering it.
"I don't know anything about it," Trump said when asked about the report. "[Hegseth] said, he said, he did not say that. And I believe him."
"But no, I wouldn't have wanted that. Not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine, and if there were two people around, but Pete said that didn't happen. I have great confidence," Trump said.
Van Hollen: 'Very possible there was a war crime committed' in Venezuela boat strike
According to the Post report, Hegseth is said to have given an order ahead of the strike that there should be no survivors, but Hegseth did not give a specific order to target the boat again when two survivors were seen. Instead, the special operations officer commanding the mission ordered the second strike "to comply with Hegseth's instructions," two people familiar with the matter told the Post.
Since September, the U.S. haslaunched at least 20 strikeson suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, killing more than 80 people.
A resolution to prevent President Donald Trump from attacking what the administration says are drug cartel smuggling boats failed to advance earlier this month by a 49-51 vote. Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski voted with Democrats on the resolution.
Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and ranking Democrat on the committee Sen. Jack Reed on Friday called for "vigorous oversight to determine the facts" of allegations that the military intentionally killed survivors of a boat strike.
"The Committee has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances," Wicker and Reed said in a statement.
On Saturday, the chairman and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee also released a joint statement calling for "rigorous oversight" of the strikes against alleged drug smugglers.
"This committee is committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense's military operations in the Caribbean. We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question," Chairman Mike Rogers and ranking member Adam Smith wrote in their statement.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concern Sunday over the reports of the Sept. 2 incident, saying that if they were true, it would have been an illegal act.
Hegseth responds to report that boat survivors were killed as a result of his orders to military
Republican Rep. Mike Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a former chairman of the Intelligence Committee, told "Face the Nation," "Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious. And I agree that, that would be an illegal act."
He added that Congress has not been informed by the administration that such action has been taken.
"There are very serious concerns, questions in Congress about the attacks on the so-called drug boats down in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and the legal justification that's been provided, but this is completely outside of anything that has been discussed with Congress, and there is an ongoing investigation."
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, told ABC News' "This Week" he believes "it's very possible there was a war crime committed" if the reports of a second strike are true.
"I think it's very possible there was a war crime committed. Of course, for it to be a war crime, you have to accept the Trump administration's whole construct here ... which is we're in armed conflict, at war with this particular -- with the drug gangs," Van Hollen said. "Of course, they've never presented the public with the information they've got here. If that theory is wrong, then it's plain murder."
Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told "This Week" the report was "a big concern," but also expressed skepticism Hegseth would have issued such an order.
"We should get to the truth. I don't think [Hegseth] would be foolish enough to make this decision to say 'Kill everybody, kill the survivors,' because that's a clear violation of the law of war. So, I'm very suspicious that he would've done something like that because it would go against common sense," Bacon said.
"But," he continued, "If it was as if the article said, that is a violation of the law of war. When people want to surrender, you don't kill them, and they have to pose an imminent threat. It's hard to believe that two people on a raft, trying to survive, would pose an imminent threat."
Turner said that despite Trump's social media posts suggesting a strike on Venezuela could be imminent, Congress has not been informed of that or given a justification as to why it should.
"Well, the president did not say that, and the president certainly has not given Congress any notice that that is going to occur," Turner said when asked if a strike was imminent.
"He certainly has not made the case there is a buildup that the president has not explained in a way that relates solely to the actions that are currently going down in the Caribbean, and with respect to the drug trade that the President has been discussing with Congress, it is certainly a significant concern in Congress."
Asked Sunday if his post meant an invasion of Venezuela was imminent, Trump replied, "Don't read anything into it."
ABC News' Anne Flaherty, Quinn Scanlan, Kendall Wright and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
