**The White House Defends Navy Admiral’s Authority in Controversial Caribbean Drug Boat Strike**
The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea during a September U.S. military operation that has come under bipartisan scrutiny.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered this justification for the September 2 strike after lawmakers from both parties announced support for congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The lawmakers cited a published report alleging that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike, which killed survivors on the boat in the incident.
Leavitt, in comments to reporters, did not dispute a Washington Post report that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her explanation followed President Donald Trump’s statement a day earlier when he said he “wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike” when asked about the incident.
“Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” said Leavitt, referring to U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, who at the time was commander of Joint Special Operations Command.
“Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”
### Lawmakers Call for Scrutiny Amid Legal Concerns
The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Post report was true, and some Republicans expressed skepticism. However, they agreed that reports of attacking survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious legal concerns and merited further scrutiny.
The White House’s comments came after Trump on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth.
“Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. He added, “And I believe him.”
Leavitt also said that Hegseth has spoken with members of Congress who had expressed some concerns about the reports over the weekend.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke over the weekend with the four bipartisan lawmakers leading the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Caine reiterated “his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelon,” according to a statement from his office.
The statement further noted that the call focused on “addressing the intent and legality of missions to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”
### Congress Seeks Answers
Senate Majority Leader John Thune broadly defended the operations on Monday, echoing the Trump administration’s position that these strikes are necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States.
Thune said congressional committees will conduct oversight to investigate what happened.
“I don’t think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until you have all the facts,” he said of the September 2 strike. “We’ll see where they lead.”
Following the Washington Post’s report, Hegseth responded on Friday via X (formerly Twitter), calling the news “fake news” and accusing the media of “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”
“Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth stated.
### Democratic Leaders Demand Transparency
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized Hegseth’s response, calling him a “national embarrassment.” Schumer called for the armed services committees to demand that Hegseth release video footage of the strike and testify under oath about what occurred.
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the panel’s inquiry would begin “with briefings about what actually happened” from the officials involved.
Reed also urged the administration to release unredacted video of the strike.
“If they’ve done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don’t they release it?” he questioned.
Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that the investigation would be “done by the numbers.”
“We’ll find out the ground truth,” he said, adding that the charges were “serious” and the ramifications significant.
### Venezuela’s President Reacts
President Trump met later Monday with his national security team to discuss ongoing operations and potential next steps against Venezuela.
The U.S. administration has stated that the strikes target drug cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump is also reportedly considering whether to conduct strikes on Venezuelan mainland targets.
Trump confirmed on Sunday that he recently spoke by phone with Maduro, though he declined to detail the conversation.
Meanwhile, speaking to supporters in Caracas on Monday, Maduro said U.S. pressure has “tested” the country, but Venezuelans are prepared “to defend it and lead it to the path of peace.”
“We have lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism,” Maduro said.
### Background on the Strikes
The September strike was one in a series of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. These have occurred as the Trump administration ordered a buildup of a naval fleet near Venezuela, including the deployment of the largest U.S. aircraft carrier.
More than 80 people have been killed in strikes on small boats alleged by the Trump administration to be smuggling narcotics for drug cartels.
Venezuela’s National Assembly has announced the launch of an investigation into the lethal strikes carried out by the U.S.
Sunday’s announcement by Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez marked the first time a Maduro government official explicitly acknowledged Venezuelan casualties resulting from the months-long U.S. military operations.
Rodríguez, Maduro’s chief negotiator, stated that a group of lawmakers would investigate “the serious events that led to the murder of Venezuelans in the waters of the Caribbean Sea.”
https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2025/12/white-house-says-admiral-ordered-2nd-strike-on-alleged-drug-boat-insists-attack-was-lawful.html
