This one could be an issue. Nobody is denying that a second strike was executed on one of the drug boats. Now the question is why.

If it was to finish sinking the boat, fine. If it was merely to kill the remaining traffickers, rather than interdicting them, then that's a problem.

I find it hard to believe that any of those little boats require two strikes to disable or sink them.

Quote:Spec ops chief ordered deadly Caribbean strike ‘in self-defense’ with Hegseth’s sign-off, White House says
The White House confirmed and defended conducting a second strike against alleged drug smugglers
By Diana Stancy Fox News
Published December 1, 2025 7:37pm EST

The White House confirmed and defended conducting a second strike against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean in September, amid the Trump administration’s crusade targeting the influx of drugs into the U.S.

The White House’s statement comes after the Washington Post reported Friday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth verbally ordered that a Sept. 2 attack kill everyone on board the alleged drug boat, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers who are requesting additional oversight into the strikes. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat.

Although the Pentagon pushed back against the report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny that a second strike occurred and told reporters Monday that the strike Sept. 2 was conducted "in self-defense" in international waters "in accordance with the law of armed conflict."

The White House said Monday that Hegseth authorized the second strike, but the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, ordered and directed it. At the time of the strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command.

"On September 2nd, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes," Leavitt said. "Admiral Bradley 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."

When asked to confirm that Bradley was the one who ordered the second strike, Leavitt said that he was "well within his authority to do so," but declined to disclose whether the second strike was ordered because there were survivors remaining from the first strike.

Leavitt also disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions.

"I would reject that the secretary of War ever said that," Leavitt said. "However, the president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs toward the United States, he has the authority to kill them."

The White House’s statements on the matter don’t completely align with the Pentagon’s. On Friday, the Pentagon denied the Post’s reporting in its entirety.

"We told the Washington Post that this entire narrative was false yesterday," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a post on social media Friday. "These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of whole cloth. Fake News is the enemy of the people."

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Meanwhile, the report has prompted lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to ask additional questions about the operations, and press for additional oversight.

"This committee is committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean," Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., who lead the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement on Saturday. "We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question."

Spokespeople for the committee did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the nature of these additional oversight efforts.

Additionally, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said Monday that she is calling for an investigation into the matter as well, and said that Hegseth "owes answers to the American people immediately."

The Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump’s goal to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.

The White House also confirmed Monday that Trump is slated to hold a meeting on Monday evening to discuss future actions concerning Venezuela.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/spec-op...house-says

I don't have any problem with it. Maybe its not best, but its not like they were waving a white flag.

Dont really care, its amazing the clown media making a deal out of this didnt say a thing when Obama was drone striking actual citizens.

Honestly dont care, go ahead and declare war on these narco terrorists and unleash our full might, then lets see media dorks really lose their ****.



Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

More made up democrat angst talking points. It's what they did in his first term. Every week another coordinated BS round of astroturfing.

Point and laugh.

Okay, you guys convinced me. This is war. Everybody dies, lol.

Wow. Who'd a thought in a war against Narco-Terrorists some Narco-Terrorists would be killed? Kill em all, let God sort em.

Boo f’ing hoo

Dont care

Frick em

Sounds like the job was finished, end of story.

(12-01-2025 09:39 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

Both Democrats and Republicans are the true war criminals. Hegseth is juat a try hard who hates seeing fat people in uniform and wants them gone.

Quote:White House says special ops commander approved second strike on Venezuelan drug boat survivors
Leavitt confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized Bradley, who acted within his authority, to conduct the strike.

By Misty Severi
Published: December 1, 2025 4:48pm
Updated: December 1, 2025 6:14pm

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Special Operations Command Commander Adm. Frank Bradley was responsible for ordering a controversial second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat earlier this year.

The strike, which took place in September, came after the first missile strike left two survivors holding onto the wreckage. The Trump administration claimed the drug boats are trying to smuggle illicit drugs such as fentanyl into the United States.

Leavitt confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized Bradley, who acted within his authority, to conduct the strike, which was protected under the Law of Armed Conflict after bipartisan lawmakers raised concern that the strike could constitute a war crime.

"Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated,” she said. “This administration has designated these narcoterrorists as foreign terrorist organizations. The president has the right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America, if they are bringing illegal narcotics that are killing our citizens at a record rate, which is what they are doing.”

The comment also comes as President Donald Trump is expected to meet with his national security team later Monday, where they are expected to discuss Venezuela.

https://justthenews.com/government/white...a-autopost

(12-02-2025 06:56 AM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(12-01-2025 09:39 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

Both Democrats and Republicans are the true war criminals. Hegseth is juat a try hard who hates seeing fat people in uniform and wants them gone.

He and I are of a like mind then.

completely debunked again....

Well that took way less time than it normally does.

(12-02-2025 09:21 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Well that took way less time than it normally does.

48 minute rule.....

play stupid games win stupid prizes

(12-02-2025 09:21 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Well that took way less time than it normally does.

Exactly what I was going to say.

(12-02-2025 09:20 AM)UofMstateU Wrote:  completely debunked again....

The NYT committed a random act of journalism? Good. Maybe there's hope for them yet. (I doubt it, but it'd be nice if they gravitated back towards the middle in their coverage of politics.)

Progressives every day...