Navy Admiral Faces Questions Over Boat Strikes in Classified Briefing

The Navy admiral who oversaw the controversial deadly boat strike on an alleged Venezuelan narco-terrorist vessel will meet with members of Congress on Thursday.

Members of both the House and Senate will question Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley in a classified congressional briefing to discuss the more than 20 strikes the U.S. has carried out in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific in recent months. Special attention is expected to be given to a strike on Sept. 2.  

The Washington Post reports that following an initial strike on a narco-vessel on Sept. 2, two survivors were seen in the water and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike to kill the men.  

Bradley oversaw the operation that day and is expected to answer questions regarding the details of the orders he received from Hegseth and the orders he gave. 

Both Republican and Democrat lawmaker have expressed concerns over the multiple boat strikes that have killed more than 80 alleged narco-terrorist and have specially raised questions over the reported second strike on Sept. 2.  

Hegseth has repeatedly defended the strikes, and on Saturday, following The Washington Post’s report on the second strike targeting the two men, he blamed the “fake news” for “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”  

Asked about the incident, President Donald Trump said he did not “know anything” about it, adding, Hegseth “said he did not do it.”   

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Department of War’s second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. 

Leavitt said at Monday’s press briefing that Hegseth authorized Bradley to carry out the second strike on Sept. 2. 

On Wednesday night, Martha Raddatz of ABC News reported: “According to a source familiar with the incident, the two survivors climbed back on to the boat after the initial strike. They were believed to be potentially in communication with others, and salvaging some of the drugs. Because of that, it was determined they were still in the fight and valid targets.”

The Daily Signal’s Elizabeth Mitchell contributed to this report.

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