There was already a serious controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s monthslong policy of deadly military strikes against civilian boats in international waters. Late last week, however, a report in The Washington Post took the controversy to another level.
In an article published on the day after Thanksgiving, the Post, citing “two people with direct knowledge of the operation,” reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive to military personnel in early September to kill the crew of a vessel carrying 11 people. The Post, in a report that has not been independently verified by MS NOW, noted that the initial military strike left two survivors who clung to a smoldering wreck.
Adm. Frank Bradley, who at the time headed the Joint Special Operations Command, ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s “kill everybody” directive, according to the Post’s two sources.
A group of former military lawyers issued a joint statement that concluded that the allegations raised in the Post’s report “constitute war crimes, murder, or both.” Plenty of others came to the same conclusion.
The denials came quickly. The beleaguered Pentagon chief called the article “fake news.” His top spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said the “entire narrative” presented by the Post was “false,” adding, “These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of whole cloth. Fake News is the enemy of the people.”
Three days later, the administration changed its story: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during a Monday briefing that the U.S. military did launch a second strike, adding that it was ordered by Bradley.
Soon after, Hegseth published an item to social media that read, “Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.”
On the surface, this might give the impression that the secretary was standing behind the admiral, but the context is everything: By referencing “the combat decisions he has made,” Hegseth appeared to be passing the buck to Bradley, rather than taking responsibility.
Indeed, a follow-up report in the Post noted that officials in Congress and the Pentagon expressed concern that the Trump administration “intends to scapegoat” Bradley, adding that Leavitt’s prepared comments “elicited a furious backlash within the Defense Department, where officials described feeling angry at the uncertainty over whether Hegseth would take responsibility for his alleged role in the operation — or leave the military and civilian staff under him to face the consequences.”
Complicating matters further, a video reemerged this week of Hegseth appearing on Fox News on Sept. 3, boasting that he watched the military operation unfold in real time a day earlier, making it more difficult for him to distance himself from what transpired.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, where the defense secretary was already lacking in allies, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to the latest allegations by calling for Hegseth’s resignation.
“If the reports are true, Pete Hegseth likely committed a war crime when he gave an illegal order that led to the killing of incapacitated survivors of the U.S. strike in the Caribbean,” the senator said. “The American people deserve to know exactly what happened, which is why I’m proud to join colleagues on both sides of the aisle in calling for a thorough investigation and full transparency with Congress. It’s deeply shameful that the Secretary of Defense would violate the laws of armed conflict and put our brave servicemembers in this position. He should resign immediately.”
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut issued a similar statement soon afterward, insisting, “Hegseth needs to go. … He should resign or be fired — or at least be put on leave while investigations proceed. Our men and women in uniform, as well as the American people, deserve no less.”
On the other side of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader John Thune was also asked how comfortable he is with Hegseth’s leadership. “I don’t have, at this point, an evaluation of the secretary,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters. “Others can make those evaluations.”
A ringing endorsement it was not.
Bradley is expected to spend time on Capitol Hill this week to speak with senior lawmakers about what transpired. Watch this space.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
