Pete Hegseth’s bomb-first, questions-later approach to suspected drug terrorists is reportedly helping these terrorists get away with justice.
A ship allegedly carrying drugs from Ecuador was hit by an explosion directed by Hergseth, destroying evidence crucial to the prosecution of survivors, according to a damning report in The Washington Post.
Andrés Fernando Tufiño Chila, a 42-year-old Ecuadorian with a history of drug trafficking, was one of two survivors of an Oct. 16 attack on a U.S. submarine that the Pentagon said was transporting drugs overseas. Two others were killed in the attack and a fourth was extradited to Colombia.
U.S. troops captured Chila and sent him back to Ecuador to face prosecution. However, the United States did not provide the Ecuadorian government with any evidence that might have led to Chila’s arrest. Any evidence that Kira committed a crime on the ship, such as seized drugs, GPS records or cell phones, was blown to the bottom of the sea.
The Ecuadorian government was forced to release Chila, The Washington Post reported.
Andres Fernando Tufinho Chira was released by the Ecuadorian government after the United States destroyed any evidence that might support his crimes. / Ministry of Interior of Ecuador
Not even one suspected narco-terrorist has been arrested, which is incompatible with the 45-year-old defense minister’s tough-on-drug campaign against narco-terrorism.
“If these people are drug dealers, hell, how do you catch them and let them go?” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, a member of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees, told The Washington Post.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hegseth staked his reputation and job on the effectiveness of the ship attack. /Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
“We have always said that our intelligence did confirm that these vessels were trafficking narcotics destined for the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement to The Washington Post. “That intelligence also confirmed that the individuals involved in these drug operations were narco-terrorists, and we stand by that assessment.”
Hegseth staked his reputation and potential job on the effectiveness of the ship attack. Hegseth was recently in trouble after receiving an alleged “kill ’em all” order aboard a Venezuelan drug-trafficking ship, which resulted in the deaths of survivors of the first Sept. 2 attack that critics called a potential war crime.
Mr Hegseth’s year as defense secretary has been marked by controversy and embarrassment. / Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
When reports of the order surfaced in late November, Hegseth boasted: “Biden condones terrorists and we kill them.”
The “double tap” incident was Hegseth’s most serious controversy in a year fraught with embarrassment, leading to speculation he would soon be sacked.
President Trump, 79, has denied responsibility for Hegseth’s attack, saying: “I didn’t know about the second attack. I don’t know anything about people. I was not involved in it.” However, he also verbally supported Hegseth through the ordeal.