Republicans Demand Probe into Pete Hegseth’s Boat Strikes

By Ellie Cook

Senior Defense Reporter

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Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called for greater congressional scrutiny over the U.S.' almost three-month long strike campaign on alleged drug trafficking boats after a report claimed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered all people aboard a suspected narcotrafficking vessel to be killed.Among them are Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who leads the House Armed Services Committee.

The Washington Post first reported a U.S. commander in charge of an attack on a suspected drug vessel in the southern Caribbean on September 2 ordered a second strike that killed two survivors on the vessel to comply with a verbal order from Hegseth to kill everyone on board. The Post cited two anonymous sources with knowledge of the operation.

The September 2 mission was the first in what has become a concerted strike campaign against suspected drug boats in both the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific. At least 83 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes, according to the administration's own numbers.

Officials said 11 people were killed in the September 2 mission.

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Hegseth called the report "fake news" and insisted U.S. operations in the Caribbean "are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command."

Former military lawyers and officials, as well as international observers, have raised concerns the strikes violate domestic and international law and could put U.S. soldiers at risk. The Post reported in late November a classified Justice Department memo penned in the summer indicated U.S. personnel involved in the strikes would not be prosecuted down the line.

White House communications director, Steven Cheung, said on on X that the Post report "provided NO FACTS and NO SUBSTANTIATION."

Trump, speaking to reporters on Sunday, said he had "great confidence" Hegseth did not issue such a spoken order.

"I wouldn't have wanted that—a second strike," Trump said. "The first strike was very lethal. It was fine."

The strikes have come alongside a vast U.S. military build up close to Venezuela, further bolstered by the arrival of the U.S.' largest aircraft carrier and other warships. The ballooning, looming U.S. presence off Venezuela's shores has been increasingly seen as a way to pressurize, and possibly to topple, Venezuela's authoritarian socialist leader, Nicolás Maduro.

U.S. authorities have offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest, and offered tens of millions more for leads relating to other top Venezuelan officials. The State Department has alleged Maduro leads the so-called Cartel de los Soles, which Washington says is a criminal ring of senior Venezuelan political, military and judicial figures.

The U.S. designated Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in late November. Trump has not ruled out direct military action against Venezuela and ramped up the pressure on Caracas late last week by declaring Venezuela's airspace should be considered closed.

Although one country cannot unilaterally close another's airspace, it can block its own airlines operating in an area or issue warnings that discourage flight traffic. Venezuela's foreign minister said Trump's statements "constitute a hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most fundamental principles of international law."

Which Republicans Have Called For Scrutiny?

Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, jointly called on Friday for "vigorous oversight" and said the committee would "determine the facts related to these circumstances."

Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who leads the House Armed Services Committee, pledged in a statement issued alongside the committee's top Democrat, Representative Adam Smith, to carry out "rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean."

"We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question," the lawmakers said. SOUTHCOM refers to the U.S. Southern Command, which has carried out the strikes on alleged narco-vessels.

Nebraska Republican, Representative Don Bacon, said he was skeptical Hegseth would have issued the order but added the report was "a big concern."

"We should get to the truth," Bacon told ABC News' This Week on Sunday. "I'm very suspicious that [Hegseth] would've done something like that because it would go against common sense."

"Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious," Ohio Republican Representative Michael Turner told CBS' Face the Nation. "If that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act."

Some Republican Trump allies have dismissed concerns over the strikes.

"I don't know if I believe that at all," Oklahoma Republican, Senator Markwayne Mullin, told CNN on Sunday.

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