US Politics
Trump defends Hegseth as secretary faces questions over Venezuela boat strike ‘war crime’: Live
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President Donald Trump has defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reports that he ordered a second military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in September after the first attack failed to kill everyone on board.
The House and the Senate have opened inquiries into the reported Sept. 2 “double tap strike” by U.S. Navy SEALs on the vessel in the Caribbean, which Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said “seemed” to be a war crime.
“Going after survivors in the water; that is clearly not lawful,” Kelly said Sunday on CNN. “If what has been reported is accurate, I’ve got serious concerns.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, added: “This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true.”
Hegseth reportedly gave a verbal order to “kill everybody” on board the supposed narco terrorist vessel as the Trump administration launched the first of more than a dozen attacks on boats that have killed more than 80 people over the last three months.
But Trump backed Hegseth when quizzed by reporters Sunday. “He said he did not say that, and I believe him 100 percent,” Trump said.
“I wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike,” the president added.
Hegseth said the strikes were “lawful under both U.S. and international law.”
What happened on Sept.2 ?
President Donald Trump has pushed for the military to tackle drug cartels that he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S.
On September 2, U.S. military personnel fired a missile, striking a vessel in the Caribbean that carried 11 people accused of trafficking drugs into the U.S.
When two survivors emerged from the wreckage, a Special Operations commander overseeing the attack ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions to “kill everybody,” according to The Washington Post, citing officials with direct knowledge of the operation.
The two men were then “blown apart in the water,” according to the report.
In a statement on Friday evening, Hegseth criticized what he called “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting,” but he did not refute the claims.
Rhian Lubin1 December 2025 10:45
House and Senate launch inquiries into second strike
Led by Republicans, given the GOP’s twin majorities in Congress, the military-focused committees are typically somewhat sheltered from the partisan divides that define other policy committees and powerful groups like the House Oversight Committee.
“The Committee is aware of recent news reports and the Department of Defense’s initial response — regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” the Republican and Democratic senators leading the Armed Services Committee in the upper chamber said in a joint statement on Friday.
“The Committee has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”
Rhian Lubin1 December 2025 10:15
Mark Kelly: Reported second strike ‘seems’ to be a war crime
Rhian Lubin1 December 2025 09:45
Trump comes to Hegseth’s defense
President Donald Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth when quizzed about the military action.
Trump told reporters Sunday that Hegseth did not give a verbal command to “kill everybody.”
“He said he did not say that, and I believe him 100 percent,” said Trump.
“I don’t know that that happened,” the president replied when asked if he thought a second strike was legal if ordered to kill the survivors of the first attack.
“Pete said he did not want that — he didn’t even know what people were talking about,” Trump said, adding he would “look into it.”
“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.”
Rhian Lubin1 December 2025 09:16
Survivors on ‘narco boat’ targeted by Trump order were blown apart after Hegseth verbal command to ‘kill everybody’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly gave a verbal order to leave no survivors behind as Donald Trump’s administration launched the first of more than a dozen attacks on alleged drug-running boats that have killed more than 80 people over the last three months.
On September 2, U.S. military personnel fired a missile, striking a vessel in the Caribbean that carried 11 people accused of trafficking drugs into the United States.
When two survivors emerged from the wreckage, a Special Operations commander overseeing the attack ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions to “kill everybody,” according to The Washington Post, citing officials with direct knowledge of the operation.
Rhian Lubin, Alex Woodward1 December 2025 09:08