Answering questions on Air Force One on Sunday, Donald Trump said his administration would “look into” the report of a second attack on the alleged boat on September 2. But the president was quoted as saying: “I didn’t want that – not another attack.”
White House distances Defense Secretary from second attack on alleged drug boat
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of American politics. A top US Navy commander ordered a second round of strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat on September 2, not the Defense Secretary pete hegsethThe White House has said.
The Washington Post reported that a second attack was ordered to take out the two survivors of the initial attack and to comply with Hegseth’s order that all be killed.
Amid allegations that the defense secretary had ordered war crimes, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said yesterday that Hegseth had authorized the strikes but had not given the order to “kill everyone,” as reported.
Levitt said:
Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic attacks. Admiral Bradley acted well within his authority and within the law and directed to ensure that the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States eliminated.
When asked by a journalist to clarify that the attack was not an example of a war crime, Levitt again defended the action, saying that it was carried out “in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict”.
US Navy Vice Admiral frank bradleywho was commander of Joint Special Operations Command at the time of the attack, will provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on Thursday.
Hegseth pledged his support for Bradley in a social media post, which described the decision as one made by the commander, not him.
“Let’s make one thing very clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and he has my 100% support. I stand with him and the combat decisions he made – on the September 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us,” Hegseth wrote.
The chairmen of both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees have announced investigations into the allegations, with few details currently emerging about who and what was on board the ship.
Since September, US air strikes have targeted alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 83 people.
The Trump administration has presented no concrete evidence to support the allegations behind its deadly conduct, and many experts have questioned the legality of the operation.
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