Hegseth scrutinized for drug boat strikes, Franklin meme : NPR

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pictured at a press conference in late November, is under scrutiny over US attacks on suspected drug boats – and a children’s book cover parody.

Félix Léon/AFP via Getty Images

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Félix Léon/AFP via Getty Images

The publisher of the Franklin children’s book series has reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after posting a meme of the anthropomorphic turtle shooting at drug boats.

Hegseth’s social media post from Sunday shows the turtle, dressed in tactical gear, standing on a helicopter and pointing a machine gun at one of several boats in the water below. It is designed to look like a children’s edition of the book, but titled Franklin targets narcoterrorists.

“For your Christmas wish list…” Hegseth wrote in the caption, as he faces increasing scrutiny over the legality of a series of strikes on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean in early September.

On Monday, Toronto-based publishing house Kids Can Press released a statement defending Franklin as a “beloved Canadian icon who inspired generations of children and championed kindness, empathy and inclusiveness.”

“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the text adds.

Franklin, who usually wears a red scarf and baseball cap (not a ballistic helmet), has been delighting children since his book series began in 1986 – with dozens of titles, including Franklin goes to school And Franklin wants a pet – and an animated television series a decade later.

It’s unclear why Hegseth – who is a father and stepfather of seven – chose the turtle of all characters, however Franklin Book covers have inspired some popular parodies in the past.

When asked for comment, Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told NPR via email: “We doubt that Franklin the Turtle would want to include drug cartels…or praise the kindness and empathy of narcoterrorists.” »

A number of Democrats were quick to condemn the message, as well as the broader controversy it sparked.

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who has openly sparred with the Pentagon in recent weeks, told reporters that the meme was just one reason the defense secretary should be fired, calling him “an unserious person.”

“He’s part of the National Nuclear Weapons Command Authority and he’s taking out turtles with rocket-propelled grenades,” Kelly said.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking Monday, called Hegseth a “national embarrassment” and described the Franklin meme as a “sick parody.”

“Tweeting memes in the middle of a potential armed conflict is something no serious military leader would ever dream of doing,” Schumer added. “The only thing this tweet accomplishes is reminding the world that Pete Hegseth is not good enough.”

Questions multiply about the September incident

Hegseth was already in the hot seat, facing bipartisan scrutiny and questions from Congress over what happened — and whether war crimes were committed — on Sept. 2, when the United States carried out the first of more than 20 strikes against suspected drug ships.

U.S. officials described their targets as “narcoterrorists” from Latin America, but did not release information about who was aboard the boats or whether they were carrying drugs.

Trump administration officials initially described the first attack as a single strike on a Venezuelan ship that killed 11 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang. But in the weeks that followed, as the United States shared grainy videos of the growing number of strikes against ships in the Caribbean and Pacific, new questions and revelations emerged about who started it.

Last week, the Washington Post reported — and a source confirmed to NPR — that Hegseth gave the oral order to kill the boat’s surviving occupants with a second strike. Attacking “wounded, sick or shipwrecked” combatants violates the laws of war, according to a Pentagon manual.

Hegseth denied the reports as “fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory,” saying U.S. operations in the Caribbean are “legal under U.S. and international law…and approved by top military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”

But that hasn’t satisfied lawmakers, several of whom — on both sides of the party — have expressed concerns about a potential war crime. Over the weekend, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees opened an investigation into the incident.

Then, on Monday, the White House confirmed there had been a second strike, but attributed the directive to another military leader.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Hegseth authorized Adm. Mitch Bradley — who headed Joint Special Operations Command at the time — to carry out the strikes, adding that Bradley “worked well within his authority and the law.” Later that day, Hegseth tweeted his “100% support” for Bradley and his fight decisions.

But a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly has since disputed the White House version, telling NPR’s Tom Bowman that Hegseth ordered “two strikes to kill” and two additional strikes to “sink the boat.”

For his part, President Trump defended Hegseth but distanced himself from the incident. When asked by reporters Sunday evening whether he would agree to Hegseth ordering a second strike, Trump responded, “He said he didn’t do it, so I don’t have to make that decision.”

Adm. Bradley, who was promoted to commander of U.S. Special Operations Command a month after the incident, is scheduled to provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on Thursday.