Lawmakers Split Over Legality Of Second Strike On Alleged Drug Boat Survivors
Lawmakers are divided over the legality of a follow-up strike on two survivors of an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean this September. The dispute comes after members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees met today with Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley — who commanded the Sept. 2 mission — and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine.
The closed briefing included a viewing of a video of the second strike. It follows a Washington Post report from late last week that said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered officials to “kill everybody” on board after an initial strike on a boat in the Caribbean left two survivors.
Hegseth was accused of refusing to grant quarter — or attacking enemies who have surrendered or cannot fight back — which is a war crime.
Today, Bradley disputed the Washington Post report, telling lawmakers that Hegseth did not issue a “kill them all” order on the boat’s 11 occupants.
ONE MEETING, MANY VIEWS
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters the second strike was entirely lawful.
”I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for the United States back over so they could stay in the fight. And potentially, given all the context we heard, of other narcoterrorist boats in the area coming to their aid to recover their cargo and recover those narco terrorists,” he said.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he is “deeply” troubled by the double-strike, given that he believes the survivors on the boat posed no threat to American security.
“The fact is that we killed two people who were in deep distress and had neither the means nor obviously the intent to continue their mission,” he said.
Cotton said the administration did not change its standards or orders for these strikes — arguing that survivors in subsequent operations, who were captured and repatriated, did not pose an equal threat. The broader campaign has included strikes on more than 20 boats and killed more than 80 people.
Hegseth said he witnessed the first strike, but was not in the room for the second. President Trump posted video of the first strike on social media shortly after it took place, and the Pentagon is reportedly considering releasing video of the second.
OTHER HEGSETH DRAMA
A long-awaited Pentagon inspector general report on ‘Signalgate’ was released today. It found that Hegseth violated Defense Department rules and risked the safety of U.S. troops by sharing details about planned strikes on Houthi rebels via the encrypted app Signal earlier this year. That was the same chat that The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to.
Hegseth responded on X: “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report.”