'Lawful and needful': Navy admiral dispels Hegseth's alleged 'kill them all' order during drug-boat strike

Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth remains on offense, as another military official stands up in defense of the infamous boat strike against alleged drug traffickers.

The Washington Post published a story claiming that Hegseth ordered Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley to "kill them all" during a September 2 strike on alleged drug boats, insinuating that the alleged order amounted to a war crime.

'I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat, load it with drugs.'

Bradley echoed remarks made by Hegseth and members of the administration defending the strike and calling the Post's reporting into question.

Lawmakers exiting the Thursday-morning meeting with Bradley reaffirmed that the accusations levied against Hegseth and his Pentagon were unfounded, claiming there was "no such order."

RELATED: Trump’s boat strikes may leave one Venezuelan drug-smuggling pirate haven in ruins

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"The first strike, the second strike, and the third and the fourth strike on September 2 were entirely lawful and needful, and they were exactly what we would expect our military commanders to do," Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said as he was exiting the classified briefing.

"Admiral Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all," Cotton added.

RELATED: Turns out that Hegseth’s ‘kill them all’ line was another media invention

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Cotton went on to describe the footage of the strike that was shown to the lawmakers.

"I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat — loaded with drugs, bound for the United States — back over so they could stay in the fight," Cotton said. "And potentially, given all the context we heard, of other narco-terrorist boats in the area coming to their aid."

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