Dem ‘Double Tap’ Hoax Unravels: 2nd Strike on Drug Boat Deemed Valid, Occupants Were ‘Still in the Fight’

Original article here

New details emerged Wednesday that unravel the Washington Post’s explosive “double tap” report accusing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of committing a war crime.

The Post reported on Friday that Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” before the strikes on the “suspected drug boats” on September 2, but two men survived the initial strike. According to the report, the mission commander,  Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, then ordered a second strike to take the survivors out in compliance with Hegseth’s directive. “The two men were blown apart in the water,” the Post reported.

But according to an ABC source familiar with the incident, the two survivors had climbed back on to the boat after the initial strike and were salvaging the drug cargo. Moreover, they were on their phones and believed to be in communication with others in the vicinity.

“Because of these actions, the two survivors were determined to be ‘still in the fight’ and considered to be valid targets, ABC reported.

The Pentagon has contingency plans for dealing with such situations and it was carried out, ABC reported. A JAG officer also reportedly gave legal advice throughout the operation to ensure all actions were legally authorized.

It appears that the second strike was in line with a contingency plan to deal with potential survivor situations that had been developed by the Pentagon prior to the first use of military force against drug smuggling boats, according to the source familiar with the incident.

If there were survivors from an initial strike on a boat, the U.S. military would try to rescue them if they were deemed to no longer be “in the fight” because they were shipwrecked and in need of help, the source said the plan called for.

But if they were deemed to be in communications with other cartel members, or took what appeared to be hostile action, they could then be targeted again, according to the plan, the source said.

The second strike had led some members of Congress—mainly Democrats—to accuse Hegseth of potentially violating of international laws of war that protect enemy combatants no longer in the fight.

Adm. Bradley and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine are scheduled to brief senior congressional leaders on Capitol Hill behind closed doors about the second strike.

The two are expected to show lawmakers extended surveillance video of the operation, including the second strike.

During a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Hegseth said Bradley had acted within his authority and made the “right call” to “sink the boat and eliminate the threat.”

“It was the right call. We have his back and the American people are safer because narco terrorists now know that you can’t bring drugs through water or land to the America,” he said. “We will eliminate that threat and we’re proud to do it.”

Eighty-three narco-terrorists have been killed in the 21 airstrikes so far on drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.

“The mission is take out the boat, stop the drugs, keep this vessel and its cargo from reaching our shore using lethal means, and our amazing military—the heroes of the United States Armed Forces—did exactly that,” Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the president, told Fox News’ Jesse Watters Wednesday evening.

“President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and this entire government are committed to finally using our military to defend our people, our borders, our families, our culture, our history, our heritage—to defend the United States,” he added.

Miller stressed that under President Trump, the U.S. military’s focus is on protecting Americans.

“We’re not going off, running around the Middle East trying to build Democracies in caves and deserts and distant sands that have never known Democracy,” he said.

We’re using the military to protect American security, American prosperity, American lives right here where we live,” Miller declared.

Miller blasted Democrats for defending “narco-trafficking, murdering, terrorist scum” who use the “same tactics as ISIS.”

Update:

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told the media following the briefing with Adm. Bradley, that there was no “kill all” order from Hegseth.

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