Hegseth blasts WaPo report as ‘fake news’ in fury over strike orders

 

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth erupted Friday after a Washington Post report claimed he ordered US forces to “kill everybody” aboard a suspected narco-trafficking boat during a September strike, denouncing the story as fabricated and politically motivated.

In a blistering post on X, Hegseth accused the Post of smearing US troops and twisting the mission’s intent. “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors,” he wrote, insisting the operations were always billed as “lethal, kinetic strikes” designed to destroy drug boats and kill “narco-terrorists” tied to designated terrorist organisations.

 

According to the Post, an early-September mission required two separate strikes after the first failed to kill everyone on board — a detail critics seized on as evidence of extrajudicial killings. The revelation adds to growing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s expanding maritime counter-narcotics campaign, which has now carried out more than 20 strikes and killed over 80 people labelled as cartel-linked terrorists.

 

Lawmakers from both parties are raising alarms about the legal basis for the killings. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said on X that Hegseth’s rage reflects panic over “giving or carrying out illegal orders.” He accused the defense secretary of authorising “murder.”

 

Hegseth fired back, contrasting the current posture with what he called the Biden administration’s “kid gloves approach,” which he claimed allowed cartels and “unvetted Afghans” to flood the US with drugs and violence. “Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them,” he said, framing the strikes as part of a broader restoration of border security.

 

The Pentagon continues to defend the campaign as a necessary, aggressive disruption of drug networks operating on the high seas, while legal analysts warn that the administration is venturing into murky territory between counterterrorism and targeted killing with little public oversight.

 

Key Takeaways:

• Pete Hegseth dismissed a Washington Post exposé on alleged “kill everybody” orders as fake news and defended the strikes’ lethal intent.

• More than 20 US strikes on suspected narco-boats have killed over 80 people, prompting bipartisan legal concerns.

• Hegseth framed the campaign as a sharp break from Biden-era policies, saying: “Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them.”

 

SOURCE THE HILL

 

 

 

In fine company with Thaksin and Duterte

 

He's not even got the balls to acknowledge it! Coward! 

8 hours ago, Social Media said:

“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors,” he wrote, insisting the operations were always billed as “lethal, kinetic strikes” designed to destroy drug boats and kill “narco-terrorists” tied to designated terrorist organisations.

 

Interesting that he plays the victim and chooses NOT to deny he ordered the double-tap murder of unarmed civilians in international waters 1000 miles away from the US coastline, non-combatants neither threatening the US nor US service members, and without warning or attempt to capture.

 

Murder is fun, m'kay?

14 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

Murder is fun, m'kay?

That's why he earned that title: Secretary of War. Wee the people!