White House says admiral ordered follow-up strike on alleged drug boat, insists attack was lawful

WASHINGTON AP The White House noted Monday that a Navy admiral acted within his authority and the law when he ordered a second follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in a September U S military operation that has come under bipartisan scrutiny White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered the justification for the Sept strike after lawmakers from both parties on Sunday released backing for congressional reviews of U S military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean The lawmakers cited a published document that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat in that September case Leavitt in her comments to reporters did not dispute a Washington Post review that there were survivors after the initial strike in the occurrence Her explanation came after President Donald Trump a day earlier stated that he wouldn t have requested that not a second strike when solicited about the case Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes disclosed Leavitt referring to U S Navy Vice Admiral Frank Bradley who at the time was the commander of Joint Special Operations Command 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 The lawmakers declared they did not know whether last week s Post assessment was true and specific Republicans were skeptical Still they explained the reports of attacking survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious legal concerns and merited further scrutiny The White House weighed in after Trump on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth Pete announced he did not order the death of those two men Trump noted He added And I believe him Leavitt announced Hegseth has spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed various concerns about the reports over the weekend Gen Dan Caine chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also spoke over the weekend with the four bipartisan lawmakers leading the Senate and House Armed Services Committees He reiterated his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelon Caine s office announced in a declaration The announcement added that the call focused on addressing the intent and legality of missions to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the measure and stability of the Western Hemisphere Congress wants answers Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday broadly defended the operations echoing the Trump administration position that they re necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States Thune explained the committees in Congress will conduct oversight looking into what happened I don t think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until you have all the facts he commented of the Sept strike We ll see where they lead After the Post s account Hegseth reported Friday on X that fake news is delivering more fabricated inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland Our current 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 Hegseth wrote Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Hegseth a national embarrassment over his response to critics Schumer added that the armed services committees should demand that Hegseth release the video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened Sen Jack Reed the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee commented the panel s inquiry would start with briefings about what in fact happened from the leaders involved Reed also called for the administration to release unredacted video of the strike If they ve done nothing wrong then that video should exonerate them fully Why don t they release it he questioned Sen Roger Wicker the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee pledged that his assessment would be done by the numbers We ll find out the ground truth he commented adding that the ramifications of the statement were serious charges Venezuela s president reacts Trump met later Monday with his national safety club to discuss the ongoing operations and foreseen next actions against Venezuela The U S administration says the strikes are aimed at drug cartels selected of which it contends are controlled by Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland Trump proven Sunday that he had just now spoken by phone with Maduro but declined to detail the conversation Speaking to supporters in Caracas on Monday Maduro stated U S pressure has tested the country but Venezuelans are ready to defend it and lead it to the path of peace We have lived through weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism Maduro mentioned The September strike was one in a series carried out by the U S military in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has ordered the buildup of a fleet of warships near Venezuela including the largest U S aircraft carrier More than have been killed the strikes on small boats that the Trump administration alleges smuggle narcotics for drug cartels Venezuela s National Assembly has broadcasted the launch of an inquiry into the lethal strikes carried about by the U S Sunday s announcement by the Assembly s president Jorge Rodr guez marked the first time that a Maduro establishment official explicitly acknowledged that Venezuelans have been killed in the monthslong U S military operation Rodr guez Maduro s chief negotiator disclosed a group of lawmakers will come together to investigate the serious events that led to the murder of Venezuelans in the waters of the Caribbean Sea