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Fueling the tension, The Washington Post published its own account last week alleging that the secondary strike, which targeted two survivors clinging to debris, was launched specifically in response to Hegseth’s supposed “kill everybody” instruction. The phrase immediately set off political alarms and drew sharp criticism from Democrats eager to portray the Trump administration as reckless.
But officials who spoke to the Times pushed back hard, saying the Post’s characterization was flat-out wrong. These insiders insist that Hegseth never gave Bradley any mission-level commands during the operation and was not even aware at the time that anyone survived the initial blast. Their accounts paint a far more restrained picture than what critics have tried to frame over the last several days.
In response to the escalating controversy, the White House stepped in to clarify the administration’s stance. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stood firmly behind Hegseth, reminding reporters that the mission fell under long-standing policies regarding narcoterrorist targets.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narcoterrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” Leavitt said Monday. “With respect to the strikes in question on Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes.”
She added that 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.”
President Trump reinforced that message himself on Sunday night, offering full public support for his war secretary as the media frenzy continued to grow.
“Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from Mar-a-Lago. “And I believe him.”
With the story exploding on cable news, Republican lawmakers on both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have launched formal reviews of the mission. Several GOP leaders say they support Hegseth but want every detail examined to ensure U.S. personnel acted within military law.
Some members, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), have warned that the circumstances surrounding the survivors could be significant. Citing his background as an Air Force JAG officer, Graham offered a reminder of long-established legal standards governing combat engagement.
“It’s a long-held rule that survivors of the ship attack are no longer combatants, and an air crew member in a parachute is no longer a combatant,” Graham told CNN on Monday. “You’re out of the fight.”
He emphasized that the facts are still emerging, adding: “I don’t know what the facts are, but that’s general law. We’ll see what the facts are.”
As the investigation intensifies, conservatives note that the Biden-aligned media has rushed to paint Hegseth and the Trump defense team in the worst possible light—despite contradictory claims coming from officials directly connected to the operation. With congressional inquiries now underway, the administration appears confident that the full record will vindicate its actions and expose the sensationalized reporting driving the outrage.
