'Rare split with Trump admin': GOP-led panels expand probe of Pete Hegseth killing moves
New reporting about a September military attack involving Pete Hegseth and a purported drug vessel has led to an enhanced probe.
Observers' eyebrows were raised after it was reported that Hegseth ordered the killing of survivors of one of the controversial drug vessel bombings. Some analysts questioned whether it was murder, or even a war crime.
In an article called "Congressional committees to scrutinize U.S. killing of boat strike survivors," the Washington Post reported, "In a rare split with the Trump administration, GOP-led panels in the House and Senate say they want a full accounting in the September military attack."
"Republican-led committees in the Senate and the House say they will amplify their scrutiny of the Pentagon after a Washington Post report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill all crew members aboard a vessel suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea several weeks ago," according to the report. "A live drone feed showed two survivors from the original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of their boat after the initial missile attack Sept. 2, The Post reported Friday afternoon. The Special Operations commander overseeing the operation then ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation, killing both survivors. Those people, along with five others in the original report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity."
The Post continues:
"Late Friday, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed (Rhode Island), the committee’s top Democrat, issued a statement saying that the committee ''is aware of recent news reports — and the Department of Defense’s initial response — regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels.' The committee, they said, 'has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.'"
The report adds, "The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike D. Rogers (R-Alabama) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), followed suit late Saturday. In a brief joint statement, the pair said they are 'taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.' The committee, they noted, is 'committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.'"