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Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Pete Hegseth’s tenure as secretary of Defense has been perpetually marred by controversy, from his contentious confirmation hearing through months of allegations of mismanagement and the mishandling of classified information, among other claims. The former Fox News anchor has once again found himself in the spotlight this week, following a Washington Post report that Hegseth ordered the killing of the passengers of a boat in the Caribbean Sea believed to be carrying drugs, resulting in two targeted strikes — first on the vessel’s crew and later on two survivors, which critics say amounts to a potential war crime. Hegseth has denounced the reports as “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting,” but members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern over the reported act and have vowed to investigate. Here’s what we know.

How did the White House first describe the strike?

On September 2, President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the U.S. military had “conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility” that morning.

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action,” he wrote.

The White House accompanied the announcement with a video purporting to show the strike. In the black-and-white clip, a boat can be seen traveling in the water as a missile strikes it directly, engulfing it in flames:

🇺🇸 ON VIDEO: U.S. Military Forces conducted a strike against Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the U.S. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. pic.twitter.com/iszHE0ttxQ

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 2, 2025

“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump wrote.

What did the Washington Post report?

On Friday, the Post published a staggering report, alleging that after the federal government’s first strike on alleged drug traffickers on September 2, Hegseth ordered Seal Team 6 members to kill everyone aboard the boat, leaving no survivors:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. “The order was to kill everybody,” one of them said.

A missile screamed off the Trinidad coast, striking the vessel and igniting a blaze from bow to stern. For minutes, commanders watched the boat burning on a live drone feed. As the smoke cleared, they got a jolt: Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck.

The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack — the opening salvo in the Trump administration’s war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, two people familiar with the matter said. The two men were blown apart in the water.

How has Congress reacted?

Republican senator Roger Wicker and Democratic senator Jack Reed, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, respectively, issued a joint statement vowing to conduct “vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

Republican chairman Mike Rogers and Democratic ranking member Adam Smith of the House Armed Services Committee put out a similar message, saying they are “taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.”

Other members of Congress went a step further, suggesting that the drug-boat strike could have serious legal implications. “Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Republican representative Mike Turner said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, noting that Congress does not yet have information supporting that report.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, echoed that sentiment during an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation the same day, saying the act would be a “clear violation of the DoD’s own laws of war” and “rises to the level of a war crime” if proven to be true.

But the U.S. military’s actions in the region do have its defenders in Congress. “The strikes in question are consistent with both the law of armed conflict and with the precedent set by our systematic targeting of terrorist operatives across the globe. I have full confidence in Admiral Bradley and his legal justification ordering these strikes,” Republican Senator Tim Sheehy wrote on social media.

How has Hegseth responded?

On social media, Hegseth downplayed the Post’s reporting. “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” he wrote.

He continued, “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.”

On his personal account, Hegseth took a more pointed stance, sharing an AI-generated image of the children’s-book character Franklin armed with military weaponry:

For your Christmas wish list… pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025

“We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists,” he wrote in another post.

Where does Trump stand?

Aboard Air Force One on Sunday, reporters began to ask Trump about the Post’s report about Hegseth, but the president quickly cut in. “I don’t know anything about it. He said he did not say that, and I believe him 100 percent,” Trump said.

A reporter then asked if Trump would be okay with the order if Hegseth had given it. He responded, “He said he didn’t do it, so I don’t have to make that decision.”

Reporter: Can you talk a little bit about the strikes and controversy around Hegseth—Trump: I don’t know anything about it. He said he did not say that. Reporter: You don’t know if there was a second strike to kill the two menTrump: He said he didn’t do itReporter: Would… pic.twitter.com/JvxUvnaeQJ

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 30, 2025

But during the same gaggle, Trump appeared to suggest he wouldn’t have been in favor of that second strike. “We’ll look into it, but no I wouldn’t have wanted that, not a second strike.” he said. “The first strike was very lethal, it was fine, and if there were two people around. But Pete said that didn’t happen. I have great confidence in him.”

Reporter: If there were a second strike that killed wounded people, would that be legal? Trump: I don’t know that happened and Pete said he did not even know what people were talking about. I wouldn’t have wanted a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine. pic.twitter.com/UYikol8Tc7

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 30, 2025

When pressed on whether the second strike took place, Trump said, “I don’t know. I’m going to find out about it. But Pete said he did not order the death of those two men.”

What We Know About Pete Hegseth’s Boat Strike Mess

What We Know About Pete Hegseth’s Boat Strike Mess