Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley told lawmakers that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth never gave a “kill them all” order. However, a classified video showing the military attacking drug boat survivors has left Congress with very serious questions. The Admiral appeared at the US Capitol for closed-door classified briefings, alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine.
According to Livemint, lawmakers are currently investigating the military’s first strike that happened on September 2. The sessions came after reports that Bradley himself ordered a follow-up attack that killed the people who survived the first strike.
Bradley strongly denied that Hegseth gave a direct order to “kill them all.” But the footage of the entire attack did little to calm the situation. What lawmakers saw in the video seemed to depend heavily on their political views. And it has only deepened the controversy around these attacks.
Republicans and Democrats saw completely different things in the footage
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he saw the survivors clearly “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.” That shows them as aggressive fighters.
However, Democrats described a completely different and deeply troubling scene. Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel,” he said, adding they “were killed by the United States.”
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, backed up Himes’ description. He said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water until the missiles come and kill them.” This isn’t the first time lawmakers have faced access restrictions from the administration recently.
If those descriptions are accurate, this situation has serious legal problems. Legal experts are already pointing out that killing survivors of a strike at sea could violate the laws of military warfare.
Bradley’s testimony gave lawmakers some new information, but it didn’t resolve the growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s campaign. The administration is using war powers against suspected drug smugglers, and the entire legal foundation for that action is under serious scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Trump has been making specific calls to Republican lawmakers about their future political plans. Even as this investigation continues, the campaign goes on. US Southern Command announced it just conducted its 22nd strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean after a pause of almost three weeks. The strike on Thursday resulted in four deaths, bringing the total death toll to at least 87 people.
Published: Dec 5, 2025 02:49 pm