The Trump administration’s months-long policy of lethal military strikes against civilian vessels in international waters has caused serious controversy. Late last week, however, a Washington Post report took the controversy to another level.
In an article published the day after Thanksgiving, the Washington Post cited “two people with direct knowledge of the operation” as saying that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave military personnel verbal instructions in early September to kill the crew of a ship carrying 11 people. The Washington Post, in a report that has not been independently verified by MS NOW, noted that the initial military strike left two survivors clinging to the smoking wreckage.
Gen. Frank Bradley, then commander of Joint Special Operations Command, ordered the second strike to comply with Hegseth’s directive to “kill them all,” according to two sources in The Washington Post.
A group of former military lawyers issued a joint statement concluding that the charges raised in the Post report “constitute war crimes, murder, or both.” Many others have come to the same conclusion.
Denial came quickly. The embattled Pentagon chief called the article “fake news.” His chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the “entire narrative” presented by the Post was “bogus,” adding, “These people are just pulling stories out of thin air from anonymous sources. Fake news is the enemy of the people.”
Three days later, the administration changed its story: White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt confirmed at a press briefing on Monday that the U.S. military did launched a second attack, adding that it was ordered by Bradley.
Soon after, Hegseth posted a post on social media, writing: “Let’s make one thing clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and I support him 100 percent. I support him and the decisions he makes to fight – both on the September 2 mission and every other decision since.”
On the surface, this might give the impression that the secretary was standing behind the admiral, but context is everything: by citing “his decision to fight,” Hegseth seemed to be placing the blame on Bradley rather than taking responsibility.
In fact, a follow-up report from The Washington Post noted that congressional and Pentagon officials expressed concern that the Trump administration “intends to scapegoat” Bradley, adding that Levitt’s prepared comments “sparked a backlash within the Department of Defense, with officials saying they were furious over whether Hegseth would be held accountable for his role in the operation or have military and civilian personnel under his command face the consequences.”
Complicating matters further, a video of Hegseth appearing on Fox News on September 3 resurfaced this week, boasting that he watched the military operation unfold in real time a day earlier, making it harder for him to distance himself from what was happening.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, where the defense secretary already lacks allies, Sen. Jackie Rosen, D-Nev., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to the latest accusations by calling for Hegseth’s resignation.
“If reports are true, Pete Hegseth may have committed a war crime by issuing illegal orders that resulted in the killing of incapacitated survivors of a U.S. airstrike in the Caribbean,” the senator said. “The American people deserve to know exactly what happened, which is why I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in calling for a thorough investigation and full transparency to Congress. It is deeply disgraceful that the Secretary of Defense violated the laws of armed conflict and put our brave service members in this position. He should resign immediately.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., issued a similar statement shortly afterward, insisting that “Hedges needs to step down… He should resign or be fired, or at least be on leave while the investigation is ongoing. Our service members and the American people deserve that.”
On the other side of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader John Thune was also asked if he was satisfied with Hegers’ leadership. “I don’t have a comment on the secretary of state at this point,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters. “Others can make those assessments.”
That’s not a ringing endorsement.
Bradley is expected to be on Capitol Hill this week to discuss what happened with senior lawmakers. Watch this space.
This article updates our previous coverage.
Post-Trump administration. Changing story, confirms second attack on civilian ship in Caribbean appeared first on MS NOW.
This article was originally published on ms.now
