WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack.
The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Washington Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns.
鈥淭his rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,鈥� said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no longer able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate .
鈥淥bviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act,鈥� Turner said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Sunday evening while flying back to Washington from Florida, where he celebrated Thanksgiving, confirmed that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro.
The U.S. administration says the strikes in the Caribbean are aimed at cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Maduro. Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.
Trump declined to comment on details of the call, which was first reported by The New York Times.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it went well or badly,鈥� Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked about the call.
The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the call with Trump.
Turner said there are concerns in Congress about the attacks on vessels that the Trump administration says are transporting drugs, but the allegation regarding the Sept. 2 attack 鈥渋s completely outside anything that has been discussed with Congress and there is an ongoing investigation.鈥�
The comments from lawmakers during news show appearances come as the administration escalates a campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. On Saturday, Trump said the airspace 鈥渁bove and surrounding鈥� should be considered as 鈥渃losed in its entirety,鈥� an assertion that raised more questions about the on Maduro. Maduro’s government accused Trump of making a 鈥漜olonial threat鈥� and seeking to undermine the South American country鈥檚 sovereignty.
After the Post’s report, Hegseth said Friday on X that 鈥渇ake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.鈥�
“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鈥攁nd approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.
Trump said on Sunday the administration 鈥渨ill look into鈥� the matter but added, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have wanted that 鈥� not a second strike.鈥� The president also defended Hegseth.
鈥淧ete said he did not order the death of those two men,鈥� Trump said. He added, 鈥淎nd I believe him.鈥�
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and its top Democrat, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, said in a joint statement late Friday that the committee 鈥渨ill be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.鈥�
That was followed Saturday with the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, and the ranking Democratic member, Washington Rep. Adam Smith, issuing a joint statement saying the panel was committed to 鈥減roviding rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense鈥檚 military operations in the Caribbean.鈥�
鈥淲e take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question,鈥� Rogers and Smith said, referring to U.S. Southern Command.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., asked about the Sept. 2 attack, said Hegseth deserves a chance to present his side.
鈥淲e should get to the truth. I don鈥檛 think he would be foolish enough to make this decision to say, kill everybody, kill the survivors because that鈥檚 a clear violation of the law of war,鈥� Bacon said. 鈥淪o, I鈥檓 very suspicious that he would鈥檝e done something like that because it would go against common sense.鈥�
Kaine and Turner appeared on CBS’ 鈥淔ace the Nation,” and Bacon was on ABC’s 鈥淭his Week.”
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