Hegseth responds to report that boat survivors were killed as a result of his orders to military

[groundloop]

Source: ABC News

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to a report that he ordered the military to kill all passengers aboard a boat suspected of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea in September.

According to The Washington Post, the Sept. 2 boat strike initially left two survivors clinging to the boat. The Post alleges Adm. Mitch Bradley, head of Special Operations Command, then ordered a second strike in order to comply with Hegseth's orders and to ensure the survivors couldn't call on other traffickers to retrieve them and their cargo.

In a post on X on Friday, Hegseth said the strikes were intended to be "lethal, kinetic strikes."

"Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command," Hegseth said.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hegseth-declines-comment-report-boat-survivors-killed-result/story?id=127951385

[DemMedic]

1. When the trials start....

He should be the first one.

[RockCreek]

28. But there is so much competition....

[Roy Rolling]

31. Nice Empty Words

He should save them for opening statements at his trial.

[underpants]

2. South Park "Pete Hegseth is a ****ing douche" to the tune of "Danger Zone"

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=3VBm1LJ8j8qLp6JTs_8J2A

[sop]

3. WTF is a "lethal, kinetic strike"?

Sounds like a Hegsethian euphemism for extrajudicial killing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. He means "fuck yeah, I gave orders to blow some guys to pieces"

His claim that the best lawyers told him it was legal looks unlikely. Most lawyers commentating have say "way illegal", which is why many countries have stopped giving the US intelligence in the Caribbean, so that they're not accessories to crimes. I expect they eventually found a gung-ho lawyer idiot or two to give them carte blanche to kill, and will have to use that in their defense when they're eventually brought to justice.

[Uncle Joe]

21. Murder can easily be a "lethal kinetic strike," but the the latter sounds better and has more words. n/t

[not fooled]

36. More manly

that's what this douche cares about--doing what Krasnov wants and propping up his manhood.

[Wednesdays]

41. "lethal, kinetic" equals "lively killing"

That hardly tells us why it isn't murder.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. He can't spell kinetic

He murdered those people. It's a human rights violation and an act of war.

I'm not coming together with the family members of Liberals who voted for this when the regime falls.

We aren't coming together and moving forward. We did that in 1877 and the sick little fuckers "rose again".

To be clear: I hate magapubs.

[Chi67]

24. Agreed

This time, we take out the trash. There is no reasoning with MAGAs. And fascist organizations etc need to be made illegal. There need to be exceptions to the first amendment.

[ashredux]

6. That is such a obvious lie... these boys will soon be out of office and we're going to have a lot of trials

[hay rick]

7. Approved by the best lawyers...

Good lawyers would have said "Hell, no!" Better lawyers would have said "No fucking way." Turns out the "best" lawyers thought "lethal, kinetic strikes" were some kind of harmless entertainment made for Fox News.

[C_U_L8R]

8. "but but but the lawyers said I could"

Still don't make it right, boozebreath.

[travelingthrulife]

9. Nope. You're going to jail.

[Ponietz]

10. Murder fisherman and pardon actual drug traffickers

[Deuxcents]

11. Making sure there are no witnesses to dispute the rhetoric

[orangecrush]

15. This

[Midnight Writer]

12. He must have got John Yoo to sign off on it with a memo.

I couldn't remember Yoo's first name, so I googled "torture lawyer" and his name was the first thing that came up.

[Hope22]

23. lol!😂🤣

Good work!

[not fooled]

37. "Torture lawyer" will follow him to the end of his days

Be a douche, expect to be called one.

[OMGWTF]

40. That rancid mofo said the Geneva Conventions were "quaint."

How many times do we have to endure the same sh!t from these lawless people? Bush and Cheney should have been in The Hague on trial for crimes against humanity. The Rethuglican party must be eliminated.

[Alpeduez21]

13. That's what Cheney and his ilk said about torturing kidnapped 'prisoners'

[travelingthrulife]

18. And we let them get away with it then as well.

[ashredux]

14. It's really dangerous to give power to a guy who is a drunk and has a small dick

[travelingthrulife]

19. It's why Putin and Trump chose him.

[Gimpyknee]

16. He's full of shit.

[LudwigPastorius]

45. ...and gin.

Don't forget gin.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Yd4EYt6JbY4?feature=share

[John1956PA]

46. Yes. He stated years ago his penchant for downing serial drinks containing gin.

Occasionally, I prefer sipping a Canadian whisky on the rocks. I think that gulping down alcohol is a waste of it.

[LudwigPastorius]

47. I enjoyed a wee dram of Glenlivet neat back in the day.

But yeah, if you have to drown your booze in a mixer just so you can drink more of it, you likely have a problem.

[NCDem47]

17. NO ONE has laid out any proof of what Trump + Co have claimed.

ZERO. To anyone.

[Martin Eden]

20. Hegseth is a LIAR

Which is understandable, since lying is a requirement for a speaking position in the Trump administration. Not just spin; bold faced lies.

Hegseth honed those skills as a weekend host on Fox News.

[BattleRow]

34. Spinocchio administration.

[AverageOldGuy]

22. Push-up Pete lies

[patphil]

25. I don't think Hegseth knows anything about international law; about the same as his knowledge of the UCMJ.

Hegseth's lawyers will tell him exactly what he wants to hear. That's why they're there.
Or, perhaps they advised him of the law, but his brain translated it into a legal confirmation of his beliefs.

[Irish_Dem]

26. He doesn't even know what the word "kinetic" means.

[paleotn]

27. Shut up, Whisky. Go have another drink ya sot.

[Picaro]

29. Complete BS Pete boy

Your lawyers (the ones you failed to consult) should have told you that centuries of maritime law require that you save survivors even in war once the threat is eliminated. Since there was never a threat you’d have a hell of a time proving that your orders were anything but illegal.

[Aviation Pro]

30. Kinetic was adopted by the services

During our 20-year war period. It’s a sanitized version for killing or blowing them up.

[TheFarseer]

32. I'm just waiting

For other countries like the UK, Germany, France etc to demand to know WTF we are doing?! None of this is legal. Or are they speaking up and we are not hearing about it?

[NickB79]

33. They fired all the top JAG lawyers

And then claim their hand-picked replacement lawyers told them it's all perfectly legal.

Imagine that.

[BattleRow]

35. So does this mean other countries can blow us out of the water,too?

With no consequences?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

38. Hegseth needs to be prosecuted

I hope that the Senate does investigate this asshole

[tavernier]

39. We need names, Hogsbreath.

Name the Lawyers. I’m sure they will want to corroborate your orders.

[duckworth969]

42. Whiskey Pete will be pardoned

if Chumpkin is the prez.

[Paladin]

43. No evidence they were drug runners, and a full-kill admission by Hegseth.

In a nation with a shred of remaining decency in its leadership, we'd have a new Secretary of Defense. Beyond shameful.

[Cirsium]

44. Armed conflict?

That guy: "Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict..."

What "armed conflict?" With whom is the US at war?

ABC: "Critics of the Trump administration and some legal experts have questioned the legality of the strikes." Both-siderism at its very worst.

Some call intentionally killing innocent unarmed people murder, others call it "lethal, kinetic strikes." ABC is giving us "both sides" of the issue.

[KPN]

48. "approved by the best military and civilian lawyers..." Mmmmhmmm ..

Yeah, just like he's "the best" Secretary of Defense as well.

[Martin68]

49. Hegseth lies: ""Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all

actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command," Hegseth said.