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Hegseth Denies 'Kill Everybody' Order, Defends Follow-Up Strike as Lawmakers Demand Answers

Summary: Pete Hegseth denied reports that he ordered forces to "kill everybody" aboard a suspected narco-boat after a Sept. 2 strike, calling the accounts false and sourced to anonymous reports. The White House confirmed a second strike occurred but said Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley ordered and directed the follow-up attack. Lawmakers from both parties are demanding oversight and a full accounting of Caribbean operations, while Hegseth defended the broader campaign against suspected drug-smuggling vessels.

05:58 AM, 12/03/2025Security
Hegseth Denies 'Kill Everybody' Order, Defends Follow-Up Strike as Lawmakers Demand Answers

Pete Hegseth rejected media reports that he ordered the killing of everyone aboard a suspected drug-smuggling vessel after a Sept. 2 strike, calling the accounts false and based on anonymous sources. The White House has confirmed a second strike took place but said Hegseth did not explicitly instruct forces to "kill everybody." Officials say Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley authorized and directed the follow-up action.

Hegseth told reporters he watched the first strike live and did not observe any obvious survivors amid the flames and smoke. He said he left for a meeting after the initial engagement and later learned a second strike had been carried out. Hegseth condemned the reporting as "fake stories" and defended the judgment of the military personnel involved.

"This is called the fog of war. This is what you in the press don't understand... you plant fake stories... not based in any truth at all," Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting.

Officials, Commanders and Congressional Oversight

The White House has indicated that Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct strikes in the region, and that Bradley ordered and directed the second attack. At the time of the Sept. 2 operation, Bradley served as commander of Joint Special Operations Command and now leads U.S. Special Operations Command.

Lawmakers from both parties have pressed for oversight and a full accounting of the operation. The leadership of the House Armed Services Committee said the panel is committed to rigorous review of Department of Defense operations in the Caribbean and is pursuing bipartisan inquiries into reports of follow-on strikes on vessels alleged to be ferrying narcotics.

Policy and the Broader Campaign

Hegseth defended the decision to carry out a subsequent strike, praising the commander's judgment to sink the vessel and "eliminate the threat." He said the campaign against narco-traffic in the Caribbean and Latin American waters will continue despite a temporary pause while targets become harder to find.

Administration officials report more than 20 strikes against suspected narcotics vessels in the region as part of an effort to curb the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and to bolster the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean. Questions remain about the rules of engagement and the legal authority for follow-on strikes, issues congressional oversight aims to clarify.

What to watch next: Congressional briefings and any classified updates from the Department of Defense and Special Operations command will be central to resolving disputed accounts of the Sept. 2 operation and the decision-making that followed.

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