The internet had a serious response to the new White House announcement on Monday, arguing that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth relied on orders from a senior military leader to authorize the two strikes on an alleged drug boat after reports that survivors were targeted after the first strike.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley ordered the second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, just off the coast of Venezuela, and that it was "well within his authority to do so."
Social media users responded to the news and questioned the Trump administration over the new information.
"A straightforward progression from claiming 'this entire narrative' is 'fabricated' with 'NO FACTS' to admitting most of the report is accurate, shielding the top official involved, and saying that the strike was good, actually. Very dishonest people," Matthew Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters for America, wrote on X.
"So the thing the White House and the Secretary of Defense both attacked as 'fake news' did in fact happen. They were lying, and nobody should be buying this new version of the story either without asking a bunch more questions," Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), wrote on X.
"Yesterday, Donald Trump said he would not have wanted a second strike. Today, the White House admitted the second strike did happen, but blamed Admiral Bradley. Either Trump has no control over his military, or Leavitt is trying to insulate Trump and Hegseth," journalist Aaron Parnas wrote on X.
"Either Admiral Bradley went rogue, or was following @SecWar's directiveDoesn't matter who ordered it. It was unlawful. Operating lawfully is what gives an armed force their credibility. It's what used to separate militaries in democracies from dictators. Not so much in America," a user named Michael, who identified as a Royal Canadian Navy veteran, wrote on X.
"Oh so there was a second strike? lol weren’t they saying there wasn’t one?" Commentator Keith Edwards wrote on X.
"So either the Commander in Chief and Secretary of Defense did not know about the second strike that Republicans have even called a war crime, or the White House is just placing all the blame on Admiral Bradley to deflect," podcast host Jessica Tarlov wrote on X.
"If he was 'well within his authority,' then release the unredacted video of the strike, the timeline of events, & the radio recordings of every order. Because based on the reporting we’ve seen, it appears @SecWar may have committed a war crime. The public deserves transparency," Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) wrote on X.
