Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appears to have changed his account of a September 2 boat strike that is the center of a bipartisan probe.
Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee are “conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts” surrounding the strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat.
It comes amid reports that a second strike on the boat in the Caribbean was ordered to kill two survivors clinging to wreckage in the water.
Highlights
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared to change his account of a September 2 boat strike amid a bipartisan Senate probe.
- A second strike on the boat was apparently ordered by Admiral Frank M. Bradley, reportedly to kill two survivors in the water.
- The White House confirmed Bradley’s order but denied Hegseth issued a kill order on everyone onboard.
- Hegseth claimed he left the strike room early and only learned about the second strike hours later, citing 'fog of war.'
Pete Hegseth appeared to change his story regarding the strike
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The White House has confirmed that Admiral Frank M. Bradley ordered that second strike but has denied that Hegseth issued an order to kill everyone on board.
It also claimed Bradley “worked well within his authority and the law,” but did not comment on reports that the second strike was meant to kill survivors.
If a probe finds that that is the case, it would likely have violated U.S. and international law.
Hegseth addressed the second strike amid widespread criticism at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
He told reporters that after the first strike, he left the room to attend another meeting and only became aware of the second strike and further details hours later.
When he was pressed on that account, he said, “I did not personally see survivors … that thing was on fire, it was exploded.
“You got fire, smoke, you can’t see anything. This is called the fog of war.”
Hegseth then went on to rant about “fake stories” being “planted” in The Washington Post, referencing the outlet reporting that he issued an order to kill everyone onboard.
Image credits: Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images
“The order was to kill everybody,” a source told The Post last week.
After Hegseth’s comments on Tuesday, social media users quickly found and shared an interview he did with Fox & Friends that appeared to contradict his account.
“I watched it live. We knew exactly who was in that boat, we knew exactly what they were doing and we knew exactly who they represented,” Hegseth said on the program on September 3.
Many were quick to point out the apparent difference between his comments then and now.
One social media user who shared the clip wrote, “Here, Hegseth says he watched as it happened. Later, he said he didn't. Which is it?”
Gavin Newsom was among the social media users to mock Hegseth
“Hegseth must have been drinking because he said he watched the whole thing live,” a third wrote.
Someone else posted, “He saw survivors just not in person… I think is his little technical answer there.”
While many focused on Hegseth’s response, others noted his apparent reaction, with one user commenting, “Hegseth’s going to prison isn’t he?”
“You can see the terror in his eyes. He’s scared s**tless.”
Responding to Hegseth sharing an image of a children’s book character targeting “narco-terrorists,” Newsom shared his own cartoon.
The post was of a jailed cat, with the phrase, “Just go to prison, Pete,” written over the image.
Hegseth’s post that inspired Newsom was of beloved children’s character Franklin the Turtle firing a bazooka at a boat.
The post was captioned, “For your Christmas wish list…,” and fashioned to look like a book titled, “A Classic Franklin Story: Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”
In the comments section of the post, social media users continued to troll Hegseth, with one creating a Franklin the Turtle mockup titled, “franklin: on trial at the war crime tribunal.”
It was captioned, "Drunk Pete gets court-martialed for war crimes!"
Image credits: X
Hegseth has both distanced himself from ordering the second boat strike and publicly backed Bradley, describing him as an American hero for overseeing those strikes.
“Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support,” he wrote on X.
“I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made—on the September 2 mission and all others since.
“America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this @DeptofWar says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it.”
Many analysts say the Trump administration is shirking responsibility for the strikes and singling out Bradley for blame.
The Trump administration has carried out strikes against at least 23 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, accused of drug smuggling. More than 80 people have been killed during those operations over the past months.