Hegseth throws admiral under the bus, Kelly mocks him, GOP leaders sour on the defense secretary, Napolitano calls for war-crime charges, Loomer warns of a Pentagon coup plot.

by

Trump administration is ‘selling out’ admiral to shield Hegseth over boat strikes, officials say
White House names Adm Frank M Bradley as officer who ‘directed the engagement’, distancing Hegseth from accountability

The Pentagon on Tuesday scapegoated a navy admiral for the extrajudicial double-tap strike that killed survivors of a 2 September attack on an alleged drug boat and vowed to continue operations, even as lawmakers investigate whether the attack constituted a war crime.

At a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary said that the decision to re-strike the “narco terrorist vessel” was made by Adm Frank M Bradley, “operating under clear and long standing authorities to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States was eliminated”. Wilson added that Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon secretary, “stands behind Admiral Bradley, 100%”.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, on Monday explicitly named Bradley as the officer who “directed the engagement”, distancing Hegseth from accountability despite a Washington Post report that he ordered the deaths of everyone on the boat.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/02/us-admiral-to-brief-lawmakers-as-bipartisan-scrutiny-grows-over-boat-strike

Hegseth Says He Didn’t See Strike on Alleged Drug Boat That Killed Survivors
Defense secretary backed decision to hit the vessel for a second time during September attack, but says he left the room when the order was given

WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday he didn’t see two survivors after an initial U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, but praised a top military commander for making the “correct decision” to sink the vessel.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Hegseth told reporters that he had authorized Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, commander of Joint Special Operations Command, to execute the operation to destroy a suspected drug trafficking boat on Sept. 2.

The initial attack killed nine people on board, leaving two survivors, Trump administration officials said. Hegseth, who on Sept. 3 said he watched the operation live, stated Tuesday that he witnessed the first strike, but left the room ahead of the second attack for another meeting, only learning of it about an hour or two later.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-says-he-didnt-see-strike-on-alleged-drug-boat-that-killed-survivors-d0f5b0e3

Republican leadership is tiring of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Top conservatives have started to publicly voice their discontent with Trump’s appointed war chief, as reports circulate about a Pentagon decision to mercilessly kill survivors of a drone strike in the Caribbean on September 2.

Republicans have been practically mute as Hegseth’s careless, monthslong killing spree has claimed the lives of at least 83 people. But GOP-led panels in the House and Senate are dialing up their scrutiny of the Pentagon, demanding a full account of the September boat strikes.

https://newrepublic.com/post/203852/republicans-turn-against-hegseth-boat-strike

Newsmax’s senior judicial analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano, argued on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be prosecuted for a war crime over his order to kill everyone aboard an alleged drug smuggling boat in early September.

Anchor Shaun Kraisman introduced Napolitano on the Trump-friendly network and added, “Again, the White House is very clear that they were acting within the scope of the law. The orders were given to take out these boats, and this continues on to their effort to stop drug trafficking here in the States. It does get a little murky of what happened in terms of the orders, who carried what, who said what. Talk to us about that.”
https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/newsmax-legal-analyst-andrew-napolitano-destroys-pete-hegseth-in-stunning-commentary-should-be-prosecuted-for-a-war-crime/