Spec ops chief ordered deadly Caribbean strike ‘in self-defense’ with Hegseth’s sign-off, White House says

The White House approved and defended conducting a second strike against alleged drug middlemen in the Caribbean in September amid the Trump administration s crusade targeting the influx of drugs into the U S The White House s comment comes after the Washington Post revealed Friday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth verbally ordered that a Sept attack kill everyone on board the alleged drug boat drawing scrutiny from lawmakers who are requesting additional oversight into the strikes The Post disclosed that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat Although the Pentagon pushed back against the analysis White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny that a second strike occurred and advised reporters Monday that the strike Sept was conducted in self-defense in international waters in accordance with the law of armed conflict HEGSETH SAYS US CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE IN EASTERN PACIFIC TARGETING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS The White House explained Monday that Hegseth authorized the second strike but the head of U S Special Operations Command Adm Frank Mitch Bradley ordered and directed it At the time of the strike Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command which falls under U S Special Operations Command On September nd Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes Leavitt commented Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated When petitioned to confirm that Bradley was the one who ordered the second strike Leavitt announced that he was well within his authority to do so but declined to disclose whether the second strike was ordered because there were survivors remaining from the first strike Leavitt also disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed when inquired specifically about Hegseth s instructions I would reject that the secretary of War ever disclosed that Leavitt announced However the president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists again are trafficking illegal drugs toward the United States he has the authority to kill them US MILITARY KILLS SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS IN TH EASTERN PACIFIC STRIKE HEGSETH SAYS The White House s statements on the matter don t fully align with the Pentagon s On Friday the Pentagon denied the Post s reporting in its entirety We recounted the Washington Post that this entire narrative was false the last day Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell commented in a post on social media Friday These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of whole cloth Fake News is the enemy of the people The Pentagon did not directly respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital TRUMP SAYS HE BELIEVES HEGSETH ' ' ON VENEZUELAN DRUG BOAT STRIKE DENIAL AMID ASSERTIONS Meanwhile the statement has prompted lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to ask additional questions about the operations and press for additional oversight This committee is committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense s military operations in the Caribbean Reps Mike Rogers R-Ala and Adam Smith D-Wash who lead the House Armed Services Committee revealed in a announcement on Saturday 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 Spokespeople for the committee did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the nature of these additional oversight efforts Additionally the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen Jeanne Shaheen D-N H revealed Monday that she is calling for an research into the matter as well and disclosed that Hegseth owes answers to the American people instantly The Trump administration has carried out more than strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters and has bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump s goal to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U S The White House also endorsed Monday that Trump is slated to hold a meeting on Monday evening to discuss future actions concerning Venezuela