GOP fractures over Hegseth’s ‘double-tap’ Caribbean strike as Congress probes legality
Senate Republicans are currently experiencing a significant divide over the recent strikes in the Caribbean that resulted in multiple casualties, raising serious questions about the legality and ethics of U.S. military actions against suspected drug traffickers. The strikes, which occurred on September 2, have prompted both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to prepare for hearings, particularly after it was revealed that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth authorized a second strike aimed at eliminating survivors from the initial attack. This controversial decision has sparked a heated debate among lawmakers, with some Republicans, such as Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, expressing strong support for aggressive measures against drug dealers, stating, “I think the more narco-terrorists that we kill, that we save American lives.” Conversely, others are calling for robust oversight and clarity regarding the strikes, citing potential violations of ethical and legal standards.
As the situation unfolds, key Republican figures are voicing their concerns and seeking answers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune emphasized the necessity of investigating the incidents to understand the complexities involved, while Senator Thom Tillis raised alarms about the implications of a directive to conduct a second strike, suggesting it could breach ethical and legal codes. The calls for transparency have been echoed by Senate Democrats, who are pushing for a thorough examination of the strikes, with Senator Jack Reed highlighting the need to ascertain whether the actions aligned with the law of war and international statutes. Reed has suggested that releasing video footage of the strikes could help clarify the situation and dispel doubts about their legality. Meanwhile, Senator Tim Kaine has consistently criticized military actions under the Trump administration, advocating for congressional resolutions to limit presidential war powers and urging a careful review of whether a war crime may have occurred.
The divisions among Republicans reflect broader tensions within the party regarding military engagement and the use of force, particularly in the context of drug trafficking. While some view the strikes as a continuation of the Trump administration’s hardline approach to drug interdiction, others are wary of the potential ramifications of such military actions, particularly in light of international law. As inquiries into the strikes intensify, the political landscape surrounding military authority and accountability continues to evolve, underscoring the complexities of U.S. military engagement in combating drug-related violence. The forthcoming hearings are expected to shed more light on the events leading up to the strikes and their broader implications for U.S. military policy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Eg_6-yCfg
Senate Republicans are divided on their view of the deadly Sept. 2 strikes in the Caribbean as congressional inquiries into the matter mount, with some arguing that subduing suspected drug boats is the right move while others question the legality of the so-called double-tap attacks.
The Senate and House Armed Services committees are gearing up for hearings into the strikes after reports that Secretary of War
Pete Hegseth
, later confirmed by the White House, authorized a second strike to eliminate survivors on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
But there is a growing tension among Republicans over what to do. Some support the desire of Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., for stringent oversight of the incident, while others see the strikes as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on drugs flowing into the country.
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Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital he was “very, very, very supportive of killing drug dealers. I think the more narco-terrorists that we kill, that we save American lives.”
“I’m not concerned about killing people whose intent was to kill Americans at all,” Moreno said.
White House press secretary
Karoline Leavitt
confirmed that Hegseth gave the green light for the second strike, but noted that it was Adm. Frank Bradley, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, who ordered and directed it.
That confirmation came after a report from The Washington Post claimed Hegseth had ordered to “kill them all,” which some on the Hill have disputed.
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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he read the article and charged that there “wasn’t an exact quote from Secretary Hegseth. There was an anonymous source paraphrased what the secretary allegedly said.”
“So, here we’ve got a story in The Washington Post, which is known to hate Trump and Republicans, by a reporter who is citing an anonymous source that supposedly is saying that Hegseth said it before the strike even happened, but they don’t know exactly what he said,” Kennedy said. “That is a waste of your time and mine.”
When pressed about Leavitt’s confirmation of the authorization, Kennedy said, “I don’t care what the White House press secretary said.”
Still, some Republicans want answers to what exactly happened.
Senate Majority Leader
John Thune
, R-S.D., reiterated that he believed that the Senate and House Armed Services committees’ impending probes into the matter was a “natural place” to look at what happened with the strikes, but he stopped short of weighing in on whether a second strike was right or wrong.Â
”
Well, I don’t know the particulars yet, and that’s why we’re gonna have the — we’ll look,” Thune said.Â
BIPARTISAN SENATORS CALL ON HEGSETH TO RELEASE STRIKE ORDERS ON ALLEGED DRUG BOATS IN CARIBBEAN
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that since the report came out, “We want to get to the facts.”
“Obviously, if there was a direction to take a second shot and kill people, that’s a violation of an ethical, moral or legal code,” Tillis said. “We need to get to the bottom of it. But right now, it could be, I think, was it Oxford that the word of the year is ‘rage bait’? Could be rage bait too. So we want to get to the facts.”
Senate Democrats
are demanding a fulsome dive into the incident, and toeing the line of whether what transpired was a war crime.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he expected to have a briefing with Bradley this week.
When asked what questions he wanted to be answered, Reed said the top priority was to find out whether the strikes comported with “the law of war and [Uniform Code of Military Justice] and international law.”
“I think one of the easiest ways to begin to dispel the question is to make public the video of the strikes,” Reed said.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has, time and again this Congress, remained a staunch critic of action taken in Iran and in the Caribbean and moved to curtail the administration’s actions through resolutions that would stymie President
Donald Trump
’s war powers.
He said lawmakers needed to get to the bottom of “whether a war crime has been committed.”
Sen.
Mark Kelly
, D-Ariz., was cautious not to fully paint the incident as a war crime before getting more facts, adding that he hoped the reports of the strikes were “not accurate.”
“I will say, though you know as somebody who has sunk two ships myself, that folks in the military need to understand, you know, the law of the sea, the Geneva Conventions, what the law says,” Kelly said. “And I’m concerned that if there were, in fact, as reported, you know, survivors clinging to a damaged vessel, that could be, you know, over a line. I hope it’s not the case.”
