Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump Admin Lawyers Now Warn Boat Strike May Be Illegal, as Hegseth Passes the Buck
Well jeepers, I wish someone had told me.
Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Asawin Suebsaeng
@swin24.bsky.social
the whole trump / Hegseth etc defense of “oh it was the other guy” doesn’t really work when it’s your policy and operation, when you’re the guy in charge, and when you are refusing to turn over anyone over for criminal charges and are therefore aiding and abetting
Asawin Suebsaeng
@swin24.bsky.social
· 1h
Yes. And lawyers in the admin, once informed of details, knew how fucking bad it was and told senior colleagues, and then the scapegoating began zeteo.com/p/trump-hegs...
Trump Admin Lawyers Now Warn Boat Strike May Be Illegal, as Hegseth Passes the Buck
‘If the Washington Post is right, then a crime was committed,’ a Trump admin lawyer tells Zeteo, as Pete Hegseth tries to pass the buck.
zeteo.com
Dec 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM
@swin24.bsky.social
the whole trump / Hegseth etc defense of “oh it was the other guy” doesn’t really work when it’s your policy and operation, when you’re the guy in charge, and when you are refusing to turn over anyone over for criminal charges and are therefore aiding and abetting
Asawin Suebsaeng
@swin24.bsky.social
· 1h
Yes. And lawyers in the admin, once informed of details, knew how fucking bad it was and told senior colleagues, and then the scapegoating began zeteo.com/p/trump-hegs...
Trump Admin Lawyers Now Warn Boat Strike May Be Illegal, as Hegseth Passes the Buck
‘If the Washington Post is right, then a crime was committed,’ a Trump admin lawyer tells Zeteo, as Pete Hegseth tries to pass the buck.
zeteo.com
Dec 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM
the whole trump / Hegseth etc defense of “oh it was the other guy†doesn’t really work when it’s your policy and operation, when you’re the guy in charge, and when you are refusing to turn over anyone over for criminal charges and are therefore aiding and abetting
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24.bsky.social) 2025-12-04T20:01:14.523Z
Trump Admin Lawyers Now Warn Boat Strike May Be Illegal, as Hegseth Passes the Buck
‘If the Washington Post is right, then a crime was committed,’ a Trump admin lawyer tells Zeteo, as Pete Hegseth tries to pass the buck.
ASAWIN SUEBSAENG, PREM THAKKER, AND ANDREW PEREZ
DEC 02, 2025 ∙ PAID
Hegseth listens to Trump during a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2, 2025. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
In the days after the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration carried out a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean sea – killing two survivors clinging to the wreckage – an array of lawyers in the Trump administration began warning their senior colleagues: If the reporting is correct, this is a massive “problem” and it would be blatantly illegal, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Zeteo.
According to the Post, the two survivors were killed after Donald Trump’s defense secretary and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order that a source described to the paper as a directive “to kill everybody.” Now, Hegseth is attempting to pass the buck and blame the second Sept. 2 strike, which experts say may be a war crime, on a subordinate.
To this point, Trump’s second term has been marked by proud, swaggering lawlessness, and a general attitude of “What are you gonna do about it?” Indeed, there is no legal basis for Trump’s bombing campaign on boats supposedly carrying drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean – and that hasn’t stopped Trump and Vice President JD Vance from joking and laughing about it. As absurd as it sounds, it is unusual to watch this president and his top officials refuse to take credit for a decision to kill two men “blown apart in the water,” as the Post put it.
{snip}
‘If the Washington Post is right, then a crime was committed,’ a Trump admin lawyer tells Zeteo, as Pete Hegseth tries to pass the buck.
ASAWIN SUEBSAENG, PREM THAKKER, AND ANDREW PEREZ
DEC 02, 2025 ∙ PAID
Hegseth listens to Trump during a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2, 2025. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
In the days after the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration carried out a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean sea – killing two survivors clinging to the wreckage – an array of lawyers in the Trump administration began warning their senior colleagues: If the reporting is correct, this is a massive “problem” and it would be blatantly illegal, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Zeteo.
According to the Post, the two survivors were killed after Donald Trump’s defense secretary and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order that a source described to the paper as a directive “to kill everybody.” Now, Hegseth is attempting to pass the buck and blame the second Sept. 2 strike, which experts say may be a war crime, on a subordinate.
To this point, Trump’s second term has been marked by proud, swaggering lawlessness, and a general attitude of “What are you gonna do about it?” Indeed, there is no legal basis for Trump’s bombing campaign on boats supposedly carrying drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean – and that hasn’t stopped Trump and Vice President JD Vance from joking and laughing about it. As absurd as it sounds, it is unusual to watch this president and his top officials refuse to take credit for a decision to kill two men “blown apart in the water,” as the Post put it.
{snip}
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
