President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remains under intense pressure over the legality of the administration’s missile strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine gave evidence to members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees on Thursday, the first of the known lethal strikes against accused drug traffickers, which was conducted on September 2.
The attack has been the subject of outrage amid accusations that Hegseth ordered a second strike to “kill everybody” when two survivors were spotted clinging to wreckage in the ocean following the initial blast.
Admiral Bradley was adamant in his testimony that there had been no second “kill” order but that was not enough to reassure Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who has called for Hegseth to testify under oath.
Meanwhile, Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar has said he will file two articles of impeachment against the secretary over the strikes and over the “Signalgate” scandal in which details of a planned operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen were shared in a group chat involving a journalist.
Recap: US admiral grilled over ‘troubling’ video of ‘double tap’ boat strike
Here are some key lines from the briefing delivered by Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine to members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees yesterday about the first of the administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela on September 2.
- Admiral Bradley, who was in charge at the time of the mission, addressed lawmakers Thursday about the lethal strikes amid uproar over accusations that a second strike that day, killing two survivors of the initial attack, may have amounted to a “war crime.”
- Republican Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he believes the strike in question was justified and said it was his understanding that Bradley ordered the strike – not the under-fire Secretary Hegseth.
- Democratic Rep. Jim Himes expressed profound concern after the closed-door briefing, describing footage of the attack shown in the session as “one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”
- Himes described the video by saying: “You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, who are killed by the United States.”
- Republican Sen. Rand Paul also appeared to be distressed by the footage, telling reporters afterwards: “That video should be shown to every American.”
Latest missile attack kills four and takes death toll to 86
Just as those developments were taking place in Washington yesterday, U.S. Southern Command reported its latest strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, which, it said, killed four people, taking the total number of fatalities from the operation to at least 86.
Graeme Massie and Brendan Rascius have the story.
House Democrat readying articles of impeachment against secretary of defense
Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar has pledged to file two articles of impeachment against Hegseth over his actions against the alleged drug boats and his part in the “Signalgate” scandal.
In a video posted to social media, Thanedar explained: “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is uniquely unqualified for his role. Every day, it becomes clearer he is engaging in unlawful, illegal activity.”
Thanedar said the first would be “for murder and conspiracy to murder” over the deadly strikes on alleged narco-boats and the second for the “reckless and unlawful mishandling of classified information,” referring to Hegseth discussing plans for an airstrike on Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this year in a group chat on the messaging app Signal.
The congressman went on to lay out his case against the secretary and concluded: “I love the United States of America and will always fight to uphold our Constitution. Pete Hegseth must be brought to justice.”
Thanedar also appeared on Fox News last night to explain his move, telling host Josh Breslow: “This secretary has to go. He’s incompetent. He’s, you know, violated – he has committed war crimes. He must go.
“And if both parties, if Republicans are willing to look at this for the merit of this case and not just their loyalty to President [Donald] Trump, this can be done.”
Pete Hegseth facing calls to testify under oath over boat strikes
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remains under intense pressure over the legality of the administration’s missile strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine gave evidence to members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees on Thursday, the first of the known lethal strikes against accused drug traffickers, which was conducted on September 2.
The attack has been the subject of outrage amid accusations that Hegseth ordered a second strike to “kill everybody” when two survivors were spotted clinging to wreckage in the ocean following the initial blast.
Admiral Bradley was adamant in his testimony that there had been no second “kill” order but that was not enough to reassure Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who has called for Hegseth to testify under oath.
Here’s more.
Good morning
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration, as his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remains under pressure over the missile strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which began on September 2 and have so far killed at least 86 people.
