Hegseth Trump Venezuela.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks as President Donald Trump looks on, during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Hegseth cites ‘fog of war’ in defending follow-on strike on alleged drug boat

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is citing the “fog of war” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in early September. During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said he did not see any survivors in the water when the second strike was ordered and launched, saying the boat “exploded in fire. Hegseth also said he “didn’t stick around” for the remainder of the mission following the initial strike, and said the admiral in charge “made the right call” in ordering it, which he “had complete authority to do.” Lawmakers have opened investigations following a Washington Post report that Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody” on the boat.

Read More »