president of the United States of America, Donald TrumpAnd his Minister of Defence, Pete HegsethThey tried to distance themselves from the incident that shook the White House and led to the opening of investigations in Congress: the military operation that took place. … The US military killed two survivors in the attack on a drug boat.
Trump and Hegseth aim to wash their hands of it and leave responsibility in the hands of the military commander of that operation, the admiral Frank “Mitch” BradleyHe is responsible for the Southern Command. But Democrats and Republicans in Congress launched investigations to determine what happened and the legality of the decision. They could jeopardize the character of Hegseth, who has been embroiled in controversy since Trump elected him to office.
The White House confirmed Monday that two missiles were fired at a ship in international Caribbean waters, consistent with what The Washington Post revealed last week: The first impact left two survivors, who were later killed by a second missile.
It happened on September 2, in the opening episode of the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug boats. The White House defends that these military operations are legal because the United States is at war against drug traffickers and because Trump has designated many cartels as terrorist organizations. But many inside and outside the United States question the legitimacy of this step. Much more so if it was about eliminating survivors clinging to a ship that had just been bombed.
The central issue is the role Hegseth played in the second attack. According to what the Post revealed, the Defense Minister’s order was to “kill everyone.” And Admiral Bradley carried it out.
Initially, Hegseth did not confirm that two attacks had occurred, only insisting on the legality of the operation.
But the White House’s position began to change when Trump distanced himself from the launch of that second missile on Sunday evening. In statements to the press on board the presidential plane, he said that he did not know anything about the matter, and he seemed uncomfortable with the matter. “I don’t know anything about that,” he said at first. He then claimed that Hegseth told him that he had not ordered “the killing of these two men”. He ended up saying, “I didn’t want a second attack.” But he insisted he had “complete confidence” in Hegseth.
The next day, Monday, his spokesman said, Caroline LevittHe was the one who confirmed the existence of the two attacks. He began referring to Bradley as the decision maker, which he also defended as legal.
“On September 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these strikes,” Leavitt said in a statement read to reporters. He added, “Admiral Bradley acted within his authority and the law, and directed the operation to ensure the destruction of the ship and eliminate the threat facing the United States.”
When pressed by reporters on whether the order had come from Hegseth, Levitt returned to that position again and again.
Shortly afterwards it was Hegseth himself who took the decision as that of the Admiral. “Let’s make something clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero and a true professional who has my support 100%,” he wrote in a message on social media. But he added: “I support him and the combat decisions he made, both in the September 2 mission and in other missions since then.”
Hegseth himself confirmed at the time that he had directly followed the operation targeting that drug boat. “I saw the attack live,” he told Fox News when it was revealed in early September. At that time it was not known that there were any survivors and the decision was made to launch a new attack.
More than 80 people died in the campaign against drug boats. In at least one other attack, there were also survivors, but the US military rescued them and allowed them to be returned to their home countries.
This second attack to “eliminate” survivors has turned into a political bomb. On Monday, both the House of Representatives and the Senate announced the opening of investigations to determine what happened, with support from Democrats and Republicans alike. In both cases, they stressed that they would carry out “strict supervision” over the circumstances of the attack. Some confirmed that they would demand video recordings of the attack and audio recordings of conversations between the leaders.
“We will open an investigation. We will have public appearances. “We will put these people under oath,” the Democratic senator said. Mark Kelly About those responsible for the attack. “And we will find out what happened.”
Problems with the second attack also come from Republicans, where there are hardly any voices questioning the Trump administration’s decisions. “If that happens, it will be very dangerous,” the MP said. Mike Turner. “It would be illegal.”
Democrats use thicker expressions. The senator defended the possibility of committing a war crime. Chris Van Hollen. This would be an acceptance that the attack falls within the bounds of the legislation of war, which raises questions. Otherwise, he added, “it would be a simple murder.”
The Democrat warned: “We want to know what happened, what the orders are, what the rules of engagement are, and how this fits with legitimacy, and we want to move up the chain of command.” Adam Smith. “I don’t know how this could be acceptable,” the Republican admitted. Jim Justice.
This episode highlights Hegseth, a figure who has been widely criticized since his appointment for his limited experience in defense and national security (he had a modest military career and worked as a TV presenter for many years). Once in office, he made sweeping changes at the Pentagon, replacing much of the general staff. Among his other decisions, he fired Defense Department lawyers whom he considered an “obstacle” to the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, i.e. Trump.
Admiral Bradley will have to appear before Congress this week, amid growing unease among the Pentagon over the possibility that he – not Hegseth – will take charge of that operation in the Caribbean.
Trump is scheduled to hold a new cabinet meeting on Tuesday. In previous episodes, Hegseth was sitting next to him. There is no doubt that the Minister of Defense will be one of the key players.