Video from a statement by Marco Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio answers Sen. Tim Kaine's questions about the targeting criteria for strikes on alleged drug boats, at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, June 2, 2026.
Two excerpts joined by a one-second black gap: 1:11:05 to 1:11:22 and 1:13:15 to 1:13:41 of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recording. Cut from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's own recording of the hearing. The PBS NewsHour YouTube clip cited for this source shows the same exchange. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 3 minute 35 second clip of Sen. Tim Kaine questioning Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing)
Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "every strike has a legal officer on the deck that has to make a determination about whether the call is legal or not" and that targeting is "informed and infused by intelligence collection". He said the military has "walked away" from some strikes.
“So every strike has a legal officer on the deck that has to make a determination about whether the call is legal or not. And this is done by the Department of War the way it's been done in other theaters around the world. … all of it informed and infused by intelligence collection. In essence, they have to have true links. I can tell you they do walk away from strikes. … there have been strikes that they've walked away from because it doesn't meet the criteria or because there's doubts.”