sat . Pete Hegseth would have ordered second strike on Venezuelan drug boat as he backs Admiral Frank Bradley
Venezuelan drug boat — but he would have, in new comments about the decision to target survivors of a Sept. 2 US attack.
“I fully support that strike,” Hegseth said during his remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday. “I would have made the same call myself.”
Last week, a group of House and Senate lawmakers were briefed in a classified setting by Admiral Frank Bradley about the strikes. Democrats said they came away horrified by what they learned, while Republicans in the briefing largely stood by Hegseth.
President Trump has supported releasing footage of the strikes, but Hegseth was noncommittal during a question-and-answer session at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
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“We’re reviewing it right now to make sure sources, methods, I mean, it’s an ongoing operation, [tactics, techniques and procedures], we’ve got operators out there doing this right now,” Hegseth explained, when asked by Fox News’s Lucas Tomlinson.
The Sept. 2 attack was the first of 22 known attacks on alleged drug vessels by the Trump administration.
At least 86 people have been killed in the strikes.
The Pentagon says Bradley, a Navy SEAL, was the one who ordered the second strike on the boat — which Democrats claim could amount to a war crime.
So far, only snippets of the strikes have been released to the public. Lawmakers briefed on the strikes were shown the full footage of how the attack unfolded.
“What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, vented to reporters afterwards
“You have two individuals and clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, [who] were killed by the United States.”
Several Republicans who received a similar briefing, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), have sided with the Pentagon assessment that the survivors remained a threat.
“I saw two survivors trying to flip a boatload of drugs down the United States back over so they could stay in the fight, and potentially, given all the context — we heard of other Narco terrorist boats in the area coming to their aid to — recover the cargo and recover those Narco terrorists,” Cotton told reporters following his briefing.
“…It’s my expectation, and my deep hope, this will continue.”
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Initially, controversy arose over the follow-up strike after a Washington Post report claimed that Hegseth gave top military brass orders to kill everyone on that vessel. Hegseth denied giving that verbal directive.
“It’s just patently ridiculous,” Hegseth said. “It’s meant to create a cartoon of me in the decisions that we make and how we make them. Just ridiculous.”
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- Hiraeth14 hours agoMass deception costs money. Many Republican states have Reps that are whimpering over the second strike. Large payouts are going to influencers, both political and social, in attempt to make conservatives appear callous. If Republicans don’t stand together against cartels, the United States will be…See moreReply22Share
- Roadrunner14 hours agoAccording to the U.S. Department of Defense War Manual, what Trump and Hegseth are doing is violating the very rules put in place.Unless of course the name change to Department of War rendered that War Manual obsolete. 🙄Reply17Share7 replies
- Roadrunner15 hours agoJoke of the day:U.S. war manual rules are guided by the DoD Law of War Manual, rooted in International Humanitarian Law (Laws of Armed Conflict), emphasizing distinction (civilians vs. combatants), proportionality (military gain vs. civilian harm), and precaution, aiming to limit suffering, protect…See moreReply7Share
- Bob’s Honeybunny14 hours agoI do not consider Drug Traffickers civilians. They are gang members with lots of guns and everything that goes with it. They would not hesitate, if you were in their way to (due to NYP censors “, fill in the blank)Reply16Share2 replies
- Blankpimpernel201215 hours agoThe Admiral has no honor: he should have resigned before now.Killing survivors in the sea is just not done.And I don’t for one second believe he made that decision either… Reply16Share
- Ivan Putin – I’m Back15 hours agoFog of war is real. Been there. Done that one.Reply10Share5 replies
