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President Trump convened with his national security team at the White House on Monday evening as controversy intensified over a Sept. 2 U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan boat suspected of carrying drugs through international waters. The incident has sparked bipartisan concern about potential war crimes after reports emerged of a “follow-on strike” targeting survivors of the initial attack.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, authorized the second strike within his legal authority. She emphasized that Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett had granted Admiral Bradley authority to conduct kinetic strikes and that the operation complied with the Law of Armed Conflict. The White House’s comments appeared designed to distance Secretary Hegsett from the controversy, though he had vigorously defended the strikes over the weekend.
Lawmakers from both parties are demanding a complete investigation into the incident, which involved an apparent second strike against two survivors of the initial attack. The first strike would likely have been sufficient to stop the boat from reaching American shores with drugs, raising questions about the necessity and legality of the follow-on attack. In previous operations, the U.S. military rescued survivors from strikes on suspected drug boats and returned them to their home countries, making the September 2 incident particularly unusual.
This year, President Trump designated Venezuelan drug traffickers as narco-terrorists subject to lethal force, leading to nearly two dozen strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. More than 70 people have been killed in these operations over recent months. While the administration claims intelligence confirms all victims were drug traffickers, little public evidence has been provided to support these assertions.
The September 2 incident appears to be the only operation where a second strike allegedly occurred.
President Trump said Sunday that Secretary Hegsett denied ordering the follow-on strike, and the president expressed his belief in that denial. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with bipartisan leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, reiterating confidence in military commanders while discussing the legality of anti-trafficking missions.
Republican lawmakers, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, have joined Democrats in requesting full Pentagon accountability.
Representative Mike Turner stated that if the reported second strike occurred as described, it would constitute an illegal act. The U.S. maintains significant military resources in the Caribbean for these operations, with growing expectations that Trump may soon authorize strikes directly against Venezuela.
Read more: Trump meets with national security team as firestorm grows about deadly boat strike
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