Pentagon admits it doesn't 'positively ID' people before boat strikes kill them: lawmaker

Officials from the Pentagon reportedly admitted that they were unable to verify who was on alleged drug boats before launching strikes killing everyone aboard the vessels.

After carrying out strikes on more than a dozen boats in the Pacific and Caribbean, the Pentagon gave lawmakers from both parties a limited briefing on Thursday.

"They said that they do not need to positively identify individuals on the vessel to do the strikes," Rep. Sarah Jacobs (R-CA) told CNN following the briefing.

The lawmaker pointed to the Pentagon's admission to explain why the Trump administration "could not actually hold or try the individuals that survived one of the attacks is because they could not satisfy the evidentiary burden."

According to Axios, the briefers refused to give a legal justification for the strikes without lawyers present.

"I'm walking away without an understanding of how and why they're making an assessment that the use of legal force is adequate here," Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) remarked.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said that complaints about the strikes were an effort to "distract" from the ongoing government shutdown.