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

WASHINGTON– The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second follow-up strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea during a U.S. military operation in September that drew bipartisan scrutiny.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt justified the Sept. 2 strike as lawmakers announced that Congress would review U.S. military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. Lawmakers cited a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat.

Navy Vice Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who Leavitt said ordered the second strike, is expected to provide a classified briefing to lawmakers overseeing the military on Thursday.

Leavitt, in his comments to reporters, did not dispute a Washington Post report that there were survivors after the initial strike. His explanation came after President Donald Trump said a day earlier that he “would not have wanted that – not a second strike” when asked about the incident.

“Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said. “Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, leading the engagement to ensure the destruction of the boat and the elimination of the threat to the United States of America.”

Monday evening, Hegseth posted: “Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and he has my 100% support. I support him and the combat decisions he made – on the September 2 mission and every other since.”

A month after the strike, Bradley was promoted from commander of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of United States Special Operations Command.

Concern over the Trump administration’s military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats has grown in Congress, but the details of that subsequent strike stunned many lawmakers in both parties and raised sharp questions about the legality of the attacks and overall strategy in the region, and particularly toward Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Lawmakers said they didn’t know if last week’s Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical. They nevertheless said the reported attacks on survivors of a first missile strike posed serious concerns and merited further examination.

The White House intervened after Trump vigorously defended Hegseth on Sunday.

“Pete said he did not order the deaths of these two men,” Trump said. He added: “And I believe it. »

Leavitt said Hegseth spoke with members of Congress who may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the weekend.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also spoke this weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers who lead the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. He reiterated “his confidence in experienced commanders at every level,” Caine’s office said in a statement.

The statement added that the call was intended to “address the intent and legality of missions aimed at disrupting illicit trafficking networks that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday largely defended the operations, echoing the Trump administration’s position that they are necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States.

Thune said congressional committees will look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to draw any conclusions or inferences until you have all the facts,” he said of the Sept. 2 strike. “We’ll see where they lead.”

After the Post article, Hegseth said Friday on X that “fake news provides more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory information to discredit our incredible warriors who are fighting to protect the homeland.”

“Our current operations in the Caribbean are legal under both U.S. and international law, with all of our actions consistent with the law of armed conflict – and approved by top military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called Hegseth a “national embarrassment” because of his response to criticism. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, promised that his committee’s investigation would be “conducted by the numbers.”

“We will find out the truth on the ground,” he said, adding that the ramifications of the report were “serious accusations.”

Sen. Jack Reed, the committee’s top Democrat, who also called on the administration to release video of the strike, said the investigation would begin “with information about what really happened” from the officials involved.

“If they didn’t do anything wrong, then this video should completely exonerate them. Why aren’t they releasing it?” he asked.

In the House, Rep. Mike Rogers, Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he was “satisfied” following a conversation with Hegseth about the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley.

“We will all have clarity Thursday afternoon,” Rogers said.

Trump met later Monday with his national security team to discuss ongoing operations and potential next steps against Venezuela.

The US administration says the strikes target drug cartels, some of which it says are controlled by Maduro. Trump is also considering whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.

Trump confirmed Sunday that he had recently spoken on the phone with Maduro, but declined to detail the conversation.

Speaking to supporters in Caracas on Monday, Maduro said U.S. pressure had “tested” the country, but Venezuelans were ready “to defend it and lead it on the path to peace.”

“We have experienced 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism,” Maduro said.

The September strike was part of a series carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, as Trump ordered a fleet of warships to be built near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier. More than 80 people were killed in these strikes.

Venezuela’s National Assembly announced the opening of an investigation into these deadly strikes. Sunday’s announcement by Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez was the first time a Maduro government official explicitly acknowledged that Venezuelans had been killed during the months-long U.S. military operation.

Rodríguez, Maduro’s chief negotiator, said a group of lawmakers would meet to investigate “the serious events that led to the killing of Venezuelans in the waters of the Caribbean Sea.”

___

Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.