Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) delivered a sharp rebuke on Monday following reports on the Pentagon's controversial boat strike, in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was reported to have authorized a second attack on survivors of an initial strike.

If the allegations prove true, Tillis told reporters that the person responsible needs "to get the hell out of Washington," according to Newsweek.

Tillis, a thorn in Trump's side who has said he'll leave Congress, emphasized the need to fully investigate the incident, but insisted that a follow-up strike would constitute "a violation of an ethical, moral or legal code" if confirmed. The comments come amid increasing scrutiny on the Trump administration's three-month U.S. military campaign targeting suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the second strike, asserting that Special Operations Command head Adm. Frank Bradley was "within his authority and the law" when approving the strike. The Washington Post had previously reported that a commander ordered a follow-up strike killing two survivors, reportedly complying with a verbal order from Hegseth to "kill everyone on board."

Bipartisan concern has emerged, with lawmakers demanding greater congressional oversight over the strikes. Former military lawyers and international observers have warned that these operations could potentially violate domestic and international law, despite a classified Justice Department memo reportedly suggesting participants would not face prosecution.

Hegseth has vigorously rejected the reporting, calling it "fake news" and insisting the Caribbean operations are lawful.

"Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this @DeptofWar says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it," Hegseth wrote on X.

President Donald Trump has publicly supported his defense secretary while expressing reservations about a second strike, telling reporters he wouldn't have wanted such an action.

Political analysts and observers were stunned on Monday after a high-profile GOP media personality made an "incredibly gross" claim about the lethal strikes President Donald Trump's administration has conducted against alleged drug traffickers.

During a new episode of her show on SiriusXM, radio host Megyn Kelly claimed that she not only wanted to see the targets of the boat strikes killed, but she also wanted to see them "suffer." Kelly's comments come after new reporting from The Washington Post revealed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave verbal orders to kill survivors of one of the administration's boat strikes, a report that has renewed scrutiny of Hegseth's leadership of the Department of Defense.

"I would like Trump and Hegseth to make it last a long time, so that they lose a limb and bleed out," Kelly said, referring to the deaths of the alleged drug dealers stuck by the U.S. military. "Like, I am really having a hard time ginning up sympathy for them."

Political analysts and observers shared their thoughts on social media.

"People who think like this honestly have no place in civil society," author Seth Abramson posted on X. "I could see them living in swampland somewhere with a large collection of shotguns and several guinea pigs, but the idea that you can have the heart of a cold-blooded murderer and still have a career is bizarre."

"This is just incredibly gross and deranged stuff," Peter Bonilla, executive director of MIT Free Speech Alliance, posted on X.

"There is something seriously wrong with this woman," Randy Schulman, editor of Metro Weekly, posted on X.

"This is a weird thing to say," veteran GOP strategist Sarah Longwell posted on X.

"How sick do you have to be to have torture fantasies about random Venezuelans who may be drug dealers but also may be day laborers or humans being trafficked," Tim Miller, host of "The Bulwark Podcast," posted on X. "This is a disease."

"My god- who hurt this woman???" asked former tennis pro Martina Navratilova in a post on X. "She is a full on psychopath now!!!"

The publisher behind the celebrated Franklin the Turtle series of children's books is now speaking out in protest after President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense shared an image of the character shooting at drug boats.

As controversy has erupted over reporting that military officials were under orders to shoot defenseless shipwreck survivors of a vessel taken out as a suspected drug boat — an action widely condemned by experts as a war crime — Hegseth doubled down, posting an AI-generated image of Franklin shooting missiles at boats out of a helicopter, below the title Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.

“For your Christmas wish list,” wrote Hegseth.

Speaking to The Independent, Kids Can Press, the publisher of the Franklin the Turtle series, fired back at Trump's Pentagon chief.

“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity,” they said through a spokesperson. “We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”

Meanwhile, noted The Independent, users fired back on X, posting their own AI-generated images of books with titles like Franklin Goes to The Hague, Franklin On Trial at the ICC, and Franklin Goes to Jail.

With the scandal exploding and a bipartisan group of lawmakers vowing to investigate, Hegseth has continued to defend the orders — but also shift blame for them, saying that the actual decision was made by Admiral Mitch Bradley, whom he "100% support[s]."