Tuesday, December 2, 2025 4:57PM
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President Donald Trump called his Cabinet to meet Tuesday morning as the administration insists that it was lawful for the U.S. military to launch a secondary strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in September.
Experts in the military code say this was clearly illegal, but The White House said Monday that Navy Vice Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley ordered the second strike and was “within his authority and the law.”
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on.
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
The military operation has come under bipartisan scrutiny from lawmakers after The Washington Post reported that that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed two survivors on the boat.
Trump vigorously defended Hegseth on Sunday. “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. “And I believe him.” Bradley is expected to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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