The Trump administration on Monday defended the legality of a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea as calls grew in Congress to examine whether a follow-up missile strike that killed survivors amounted to a crime.

The lethal attack was the first in President Trump's legally disputed campaign of killing people suspected of smuggling drugs at sea as if they were combatants in a war. It has started coming under intense bipartisan scrutiny in recent days amid questions about the decision to kill the initial survivors and what orders were issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

At the White House on Monday, Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, read a statement that said Mr. Hegseth had authorized the Special Operations commander overseeing the attack, Adm. Frank M. Bradley, "to conduct these kinetic strikes."

She said that Admiral Bradley had "worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated."

According to five U.S. officials, who spoke separately and on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter that is under investigation, Mr. Hegseth, ahead of the Sept. 2 attack, ordered a strike that would kill the people on the boat and destroy the vessel and its purported cargo of drugs.

But, each official said, Mr. Hegseth's directive did not specifically address what should happen if a first missile turned out not to fully accomplish all of those things. And, the officials said, his order was not a response to surveillance footage showing that at least two people on the boat survived the first blast.

Admiral Bradley ordered the initial missile strike and then several follow-up strikes that killed the initial survivors and sank the disabled boat. As that operation unfolded, they said, Mr. Hegseth did not give any further orders to him.


Firing on the shipwrecked survivors is illegal.

Edited: 12/01/2025 at 06:51 PM by 3rdworldlover

1. Trump and his simps don't take responsibility for anything bad, ever.

2. This is why there is an investigation. If Kegsbreath didn't give that order, then so be it. The Admiral should bear the responsibility....but as SECDEF it is really Kegsbreath's responsibility no matter who gave the order, but he isn't that type of leader.
He is, after all, a Trump simp.

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If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC - KV

"Kill Em All"

- Petey "Like & Subscribe" Hegseth

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We have certain things in common Jeffrey..

It appears Hegseth did give the order.

Open murder on the open sea.

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I was right.

Still, the order was followed and like the massacre at My Lai, shit will roll downhill. Trump was already distancing himself from Hegseth saying lying Peter told him it didn't happen and he believed him. It did happen, that's beyond dispute. Now lying Peter looks like he lied to Trump. Lying Peter has already laid the groundwork for establishing that this decision was the Admirals. The blame game will work its way down the chain of command.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

Yep, just like in "A Few Good Men," 'ole Col. Jessup and all the crew that followed the "Code Red" will have to face the music.

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The GOP are now:

Guardians
Of
Pedophiles

Doesn't the president have the final say?

If he isn't making the decisions, why is he in the White House?



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I was right.

The Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, and their corporate oil cartel backers have plans for controlling Venezuela's reserves.

Iraqganistan 2.0

"Just following orders" is no defense since 1945.

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"Are you a Communist?"
"No I am an anti-fascist."
"For a long time?"
"Since I have understood fascism."

-Protagonist Robert Jordan, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hemmingway)

Admiral Alvin Holsey made a wise choice when he resigned.

Hegseth is doing wonders for troop moral.

Turns out we're the baddies after all.



-------------------------
"Are you a Communist?"
"No I am an anti-fascist."
"For a long time?"
"Since I have understood fascism."

-Protagonist Robert Jordan, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hemmingway)

Looks like some dotard feet found the dogshit pile yet again..

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We have certain things in common Jeffrey..