Republican Sen. Rand Paul slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the different explanations given about a second strike that killed survivors of a first attack against an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean.
Speaking to press, Paul said it seems like the administration is "trying to pin the blame" for the potential consequences of the follow-on attack on "somebody else."
"Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this and it did not happen, that it was fake news and didn't happen. And then the next day, from the podium at the White House, they're saying it did happen," Paul said, in reference to the conflicting accounts from the administration following a report by The Washington Post on the matter.
Paul: Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this and it did not happen. And then the next day, from the podium at the white house, they're saying it did happen. So either he was lying to us on Sunday or he's incompetent pic.twitter.com/YnVZvKE5Kq
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 3, 2025
"So either he was lying to us on Sunday or he's incompetent and didn't know it happened. Do we think there's any chance that on Sunday the secretary of defense didn't know there was a second strike?" Paul added.
Hegseth said on Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting that he didn't see any survivors in the water, noting that after the first strike the vessel "exploded in fire, smoke." "You can't see anything," he added, claiming it was the "fog of war." He then said he didn't "stick around" after the first strike, adding that the admiral in charge "made the right call" in ordering the second hit.
However, another report noted that Pentagon officials are concerned that the Trump administration is throwing an admiral under the bus as a result of the scrutiny.
The Defense Secretary identified Admiral Mitch Bradley by name, saying it was him who ordered the second attack. The Washington Post noted that Adm. Bradley ordered a second strike to finish off survivors to comply with Hegseth's orders that no one be left alive.
The statement, the outlet added, left Defense Department officials angry at the possibility that Hegseth won't take responsibility for any legal consequence that could stem from the attack. "This is 'protect Pete' bullsh-t," one official told the outlet. Some civilian staff are considering leaving the administration, it added.
Several lawmakers have come out to criticize Hegseth, and Republican-led Committees in the House and the Senate announced they will conduct respective investigations regarding the incident.
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