The Washington Post has reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the killing of all passengers aboard a boat suspected of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea in September.
“Congress does not have information that that had occurred,” Turner told host Nancy Cordes Sunday according to a transcript from Face the Nation. “Both the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and ranking members have opened investigations. Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that would be an illegal act.”
“That is not the legal opinion or the information or the legal justification, the acts that have been described to Congress that are being undertaken in this,” the transcript says Turner added. “There are very serious concerns in Congress about the attacks on the so-called drug boats down in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and the legal justification has been provided. But this is completely outside of anything that has been discussed with Congress, and there is an ongoing investigation.”
“Very interesting to hear you say that this might be an illegal act,” host Cordes replied. “I know your committee is asking more questions. We’d love to learn what you find out. Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio, thank you so much for being with us. ”
Fellow Armed Services Committee members Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., said that they were “committed to providing rigorous oversight” of the boat attacks, the New York Times reported.
In a post on X, Hegseth said the strikes were intended to be “lethal, kinetic strikes.”
“Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth said on X.
National reports have said that Adm. Mitch Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, ordered the military to collect survivors and cargo from the sea in a subsequent strike, when two survivors were taken aboard a Navy ship via helicopter. They were repatriated to South America in October.
“The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution,” Trump said on the Truth Social site at the time.
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