Morning Joe Crew Cautions Pete Hegseth About Potential Legal Troubles Due to Reckless Behavior

The Morning Joe team on MSNBC cautioned that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could have exposed himself to serious legal consequences by publicly discussing a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel. The operation reportedly involved orders for SEAL Team 6 to eliminate everyone on board, with allegations that survivors in the water were subsequently targeted.

The Washington Post reported that the September mission, part of an initiative under the Trump administration to disrupt Venezuelan drug trafficking, escalated when a drone spotted two survivors clinging to wreckage, triggering a second attack. Anonymous officials told the newspaper that such actions might be considered war crimes. Around 20 similar missions have reportedly occurred since.

Following the report, Hegseth posted on X:
For your Christmas wish list pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL

President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Hegseth denied issuing the order and expressed his belief in Hegseths account.

On Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough stated that Hegseths public statements could worsen his legal exposure:
Pete Hegseth, Republicans bragging about the kill strikes, killing everybody in the waters. Right now, its a dangerous time legally for Pete Hegseth. He added that any attempt by the Pentagon to conceal details would only increase the risk:
This genie is out of the bottle the evidence is there and theres no circling back.

Scarborough noted that both House and Senate Armed Services Committees are gathering information and highlighted the Pentagons restriction on press access:
Doesnt matter that youve now only allowed fringe outlets while real news organizations were barred. The Washington Post broke this story. The evidence is there. Names are there.

The reporting followed a video released by Democratic lawmakers encouraging service members to refuse illegal orders, which the Trump administration criticized as seditious. Scarborough observed:
Three months after these kill strikes, the alleged kill orders, they knew what was happening. Its hard not to see that as the reason for the videos release.

Co-host Jonathan Lemire suggested this context might explain Hegseths strong reaction to the video. Scarborough remarked that, according to legal experts like Andy McCarthy, if the reporting is accurate, Hegseth could be in a highly precarious legal position. Brzezinski described his behavior as trigger-happy. Lemire compared the situation to historical cases where Japanese soldiers involved in attacks on U.S. forces during World War II were convicted and executed for war crimes.

Author: Sophia Brooks