Trump Confronted Over Report of Pete Hegseth Ordering Killings of Suspected Drug Boat Crew, Despite His Denial

President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he trusts Pete Hegseth's account when he denied directing SEAL Team 6 to carry out a second attack on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel to eliminate any survivors. A recent report from The Washington Post claimed that the Secretary of Defense allegedly instructed SEAL Team 6 to kill everyone on a suspected drug boat spotted by a drone in the Caribbean months ago. Sources, who remained unnamed, told the newspaper that a follow-up strike occurred after two survivors were observed clinging to debris. Such an action could potentially be classified as a war crime under military law.

The mission reportedly took place in September, during which the Trump administration asserted that they had targeted a Venezuelan drug-running boat. Around 20 subsequent attacks were said to have followed the initial operation. Trump addressed reporters on Air Force One during a Monday Q&A session captured in audio recordings. When asked, Can you talk to us a little bit about the strikes and controversy around Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth? the president replied:

TRUMP: I dont know anything about it. He said he did not say that, and I believe him 100%.

REPORTER: You dont know if there was a second strike to kill the two men after the first strike?

REPORTER: Would you be okay with that if he did?

TRUMP: He said he didnt do it, so I dont have to make that decision.

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired Navy Captain, expressed on CNN that if the claims of a second strike were accurate, he would have serious concerns about anybody in that chain of command stepping over a line that they should never step over. He added, Going after survivors in the water, that is clearly not lawful.

Conservative legal analyst Andy McCarthy noted in National Review that if the Posts report is correct, such actions could be considered a war crime under federal law. McCarthy elaborated that the attacks on suspected drug boats conducted without congressional approval, against non-military threats, and for narcotics offenses defined as criminal rather than acts of war are legally questionable.

Trump also emphasized, I say at best because, as regular readers know, I believe the attacks on these suspected drug boats without congressional authorization, under circumstances in which the boat operators pose no military threat to the United States, and given that narcotics trafficking is defined in federal law as a crime rather than as terrorist activity, much less an act of war are lawless and therefore that the killings are not legitimate under the law or armed conflict.

Recent reports from The Washington Post have raised serious questions regarding the legality of military operations conducted by the Trump administration in the Caribbean. The article suggests that SEAL Team 6, under the direction of the Secretary of Defense, allegedly carried out a second strike to eliminate survivors of an attack on a suspected drug boat. If proven true, such actions could be considered war crimes under both military and international law.

President Donald Trump quickly dismissed the claims, stating that he trusts Pete Hegseth's denial of directing a second attack. Trump's assertion, however, does little to dispel the concerns raised by critics regarding the legality and morality of such actions. Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy Captain, expressed his alarm over the possibility of attacking survivors in the water, emphasizing that such an act is clearly unlawful.

Legal analysts have weighed in on the issue, with conservative lawyer Andy McCarthy suggesting that, if the claims hold up, the attacks may be legally questionable. Attacks on drug boats, McCarthy argues, conducted without Congressional authorization and targeting non-military threats, raise fundamental concerns about the scope of military power and its abuse.

In light of these developments, it is critical to reassess the broader implications of such operations. While the Trump administration has defended the strikes as necessary for combating drug trafficking, the potential violation of international law and military protocol demands further scrutiny. As the story unfolds, the legitimacy of these actions will likely be the subject of ongoing debate within both legal and political circles.

Sources:

• ‘He Said He Didn’t Do it’: Trump Confronted Over Report Pete Hegseth Ordered Killings Of Suspected Drug Boat Crew