Trump Denies Army Secretary Ordered Attack on Survivors

On Sunday, President Trump expressed doubt about a report claiming that Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth had ordered that no survivors remain after a U.S. military strike on a suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean last month.

“Pete said he did not order those two people killed,” Trump mentioned to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

“And I trust him,” he added.

According to the Washington Post, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) leader had directed a second airstrike against a boat carrying 11 drug-terrorism suspects on September 2, following an initial attack that left two individuals struggling to survive.

This second strike was allegedly ordered in response to Hegseth’s command to “kill everyone” on the boat.

Trump stated, “I didn’t want that to happen — it wasn’t a second attack,” and remarked that his administration would investigate but continued to defend Hegseth.

The president reiterated, “He said he didn’t say that, and I believe him completely.”

Hegseth fired back at the report just hours after its release, asserting on X, “As always, fake news delivers more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reports to discredit our great warriors who are fighting to protect our homeland.”

He explained, “These highly effective attacks are specifically designed to be ‘lethal and kinetic,’ aimed at stopping deadly drugs, destroying drug ships, and eliminating narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.” He added that the traffickers killed were part of designated terrorist organizations.

The allegations led to bipartisan outrage at the Capitol, prompting the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to initiate investigations.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, commented on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” “If something like that were to happen, it would be incredibly serious and would be illegal.”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) indicated he would reintroduce a previously blocked resolution aimed at preventing the use of U.S. forces in the Caribbean without Congressional consent.

Regarding Hegseth’s alleged order, Kaine stated, “If that report is true, it is a clear violation of the Department of Defense’s own laws of war and international laws concerning the treatment of individuals in such situations. So, if true, this would be classified as a war crime.”