Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth refused to back down or apologize amid explosive new reporting that on his orders, military officials went out of their way to fire on survivors of suspected drug trafficking ships that were already taken out, which legal experts have said would be an open-and-shut war crime if true.
Hegseth, who calls himself the "Secretary of War" under an unofficial department name change instituted by an executive order from President Donald Trump, issued a statement attacking the media, but also not denying anything that was reported.
"As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland," wrote Hegseth on X. "As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be 'lethal, kinetic strikes.' The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization."
"The Biden administration preferred the kid gloves approach, allowing millions of people — including dangerous cartels and unvetted Afghans — to flood our communities with drugs and violence," Hegseth continued. "The Trump administration has sealed the border and gone on offense against narco-terrorists. Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them. 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."
"Our warriors in SOUTHCOM put their lives on the line every day to protect the Homeland from narco-terrorists — and I will ALWAYS have their back," Hegseth concluded.
All of this is occurring as Trump supporters push outrage against half a dozen Democratic members of Congress with military backgrounds, for publishing a video reminding servicemembers they have a legal duty to refuse unlawful orders.