Hegseth, Pentagon stand by explanation of second boat strike

(The Center Square) – After a story was published last week claiming that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat to kill those remaining, both Hegseth and the Pentagon reiterated their defense of the War Department’s actions as completely legal. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. has performed 21 strikes on drug boats in the Western Hemisphere, killing “82 narco-terrorists.” Wilson repeatedly described the boats as narco-terrorist vessels at the Pentagon's first press briefing under this administration, underscoring that the terrorist designation allows the Trump administration to respond more forcefully while remaining within the law. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.