NYT Report Smacks Down Washington Post, Vindicates Hegseth In Drug Boat Controversy
Published 21 hours ago
on December 2, 2025
By jake
War Secretary Pete Hegseth greenlit the deadly Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug-runner’s boat in the Caribbean, but did not order the killing of survivors, according to a new report that immediately set off alarms in Washington.
The New York Times, citing five U.S. officials, reported Tuesday that Hegseth authorized the destruction of the vessel, its alleged narcotics stash, and everyone aboard, but his order didn’t spell out what should happen if anyone lived through the initial blast.
Adm. Frank Bradley, who leads U.S. Special Operations Command, ultimately approved the opening strike and the follow-up hits that left 11 people dead.
The Washington Post reported last week that the later strike—aimed at two survivors clinging to wreckage—was carried out in direct response to Hegseth’s “kill everybody” directive.
Sources who spoke to the Times pushed back hard, insisting Hegseth never issued Bradley any orders during the mission and wasn’t aware in real time that anyone had survived the first hit.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narcoterrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. “With respect to the strikes in question on Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes.”
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