Congress is launching inquiries into a military action off the coast of Venezuela. This follows a report that U.S. forces targeted the survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat.
The White House is calling the strikes a legal act against a threat to the United States.
Video on September 2nd shows the first strike on the alleged drug boat, but questions are growing about a second missile being fired.
According to the Washington Post, before the operation, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered everyone on board the boat killed, but the first missile left two survivors hanging onto the wreckage. The Post says a second strike killed them both.
Members of both parties are sounding the alarm, saying international law prohibits killing enemy combatants who no longer pose a threat.
“This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” said Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.
“Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious. And I agree that that would be an illegal act,” said Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio.
Hegseth called the Post’s report a “fabrication,” insisting the strikes are lawful and targeted “designated terrorist organizations.”
Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said the strikes, carried out by Admiral Mitch Bradley, were “lawful.”
“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,” Leavitt said.
In a social media post, Hegseth said he stands by Bradley’s decisions. “Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support,” Hegseth wrote. “I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2 mission and all others since.”
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On Sunday, President Trump told reporters he didn’t know the details but would not have wanted a second strike.
“We’ll look into it. But no, I wouldn’t have wanted that. Not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine, and if there were two people around – but Pete said that didn’t happen. I have great confidence in him,” Trump said.
Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery told CBN’s Faith Nation, it’s too soon to use the term “war crimes.”
“We don’t know the facts of this case; the facts as stated by some of Congressmen sound awful, but the reality is you have to do an investigation. The Department of Defense will have to investigate this and determine what happened,” Montgomery said.
All this takes place amid the largest buildup of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean in decades. President Trump says the airspace over Venezuela should be viewed as closed, and he’s also weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.
