White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the Sept. 2 strikes on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, while saying it was Adm. Frank Bradley who specifically ordered a second strike that killed survivors.
The second strike reportedly killed two people who were hanging onto the burning vessel after an initial strike.
That second strike has become a huge controversy for the White House, the Pentagon and Hegseth, with Democrats and Republicans in Congress raising questions about whether it constituted a war crime.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narcoterrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war. With respect to the strikes in question on Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said.
“Adm. 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 continued. “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.”
Hegseth has defended the strikes and Bradley’s actions amid questions about whether he authorized both strikes.
Leavitt on Monday said Hegseth had authorized the strikes, but did not say he explicitly had ordered the second strike on Sept. 2 to kill any survivors from the ship that had been hit.
Later on Monday, the New York Times, citing five unnamed officials, reported that while Hegseth ordered the strike, he did not say what the team carrying out the strike should do if the first strike did not accomplish its initial objective.
The officials also told the Times that Hegseth’s order was not in response to footage showing two survivors hanging onto the vessel.
The administration has been peppered with questions in the aftermath of the Post report claiming Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody” onboard before an initial strike.
The pressure grew Sunday when President Trump said he would not have authorized the second strike. Trump offered support for Hegseth in his Sunday remarks, saying his understanding at the time was that Hegseth did not know about that strike.
The controversy is likely to continue to simmer, as congressional committees in the House and Senate have said they will look into the matter. Hegseth is expected to take part at a Cabinet meeting with Trump on Tuesday.
According to the Post, an initial strike left two survivors, and Bradley ordered a follow-up strike to comply with Hegseth’s orders to leave no survivors.
Questions have been raised about the legal basis for the strikes, which are a part of the administration’s campaign to target “narcoterrorists” in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The strikes have killed at least 80 alleged drug traffickers.
The campaign itself has been controversial, with Democrats and some Republicans raising questions about it.
This story was updated at 8:11 a.m. on Dec. 2.