Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday that he watched the first strike live, but left for a meeting and did not learn of the second strike until later.
The White House said Monday that Hegseth had authorized Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley to conduct the strikes, and that Bradley was the one who ordered and directed the second one.
At the time of the Sept. 2 strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. He is now the head of U.S. Special Operations Command.
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According to Hegseth, conducting the subsequent strike against the alleged drug boat was the right call.
"Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat," Hegseth said Tuesday.
Hegseth and the White House have faced additional questions about the legality of the strikes targeting alleged drug smugglers, after the Washington Post reported on Friday that Hegseth verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in a Sept. 2 operation.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks to reporters outside of the Senate Democrats' caucus lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Bill Clark/Getty Images)
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"Although President Trump campaigned on no more wars, he and his Administration are unilaterally moving us closer to one with Venezuela — and they are doing so without providing critical information to the American people about the campaign’s overall strategy, its legal rationale, and the potential fallout from a prolonged conflict, which includes increased migration to our border," Kaine said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has enhanced its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump’s goal to crack down on drugs entering the U.S.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-backs-release-second-caribbean-strike-footage-scrutiny-over-ops-intensifies