White House confirms second strike against Caribbean drug smugglers

The White House confirmed and defended a second strike against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean in September, amid a Trump administration campaign targeting the flow of drugs into the United States.

The White House statement comes after The Washington Post reported on Friday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered the Sept. 2 attack to kill everyone on the alleged drug boat, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers who are requesting additional oversight of the strikes. The Washington Post reported that a second strike was carried out to remove the remaining survivors on the boat.

Although the Pentagon rejected the report, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt did not deny that a second strike had taken place, telling reporters on Monday that the September 2 strike was carried out “in self-defense” in international waters “in accordance with the law of armed conflict.”

Hegseth says the United States launched another attack in the eastern Pacific targeting alleged drug traffickers

The White House said Monday that Hegseth ordered the second strike, but that the head of US Special Operations Command, Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, ordered and directed it. At the time of the raid, Bradley was commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under the US Special Operations Command.

“On September 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said. He added, “Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, and directed the engagement to ensure the destruction of the boat and eliminate the threat facing the United States of America.”

When asked to confirm that Bradley ordered the second strike, Leavitt said he was “within his authority to do so,” but refused to reveal whether the second strike was ordered because there were survivors of the first strike.

Levitt also doubted that Hegseth issued an initial order to ensure that everyone aboard was killed, when specifically asked about Hegseth’s instructions.

“I would refuse to have the Secretary of War say that at all,” Leavitt said. “However, the president has made it very clear that if drug terrorists are, once again, smuggling illicit drugs toward the United States, he has the authority to kill them.”

The White House said Monday that Hegseth ordered the second strike, but that the head of US Special Operations Command, Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, ordered and directed it. (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)

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The White House’s statements on this issue are not entirely consistent with the Pentagon’s statements. On Friday, the Pentagon denied the newspaper’s report in its entirety.

“We told The Washington Post that this entire narrative was false yesterday,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post on Friday. “These people are making up anonymous stories out of whole cloth. Fake news is the enemy of the people.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, incoming commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, delivers his remarks during a change of command ceremony organized by U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, Oct. 3, 2025. (Monique Stober)

Trump says he believes Hegseth is ‘100%’ on Venezuelan drug boat strike denial amid allegations

At the same time, the report prompted lawmakers from both parties to ask additional questions about operations and push for additional oversight.

“This committee is committed to providing robust oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean,” Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., who lead the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Saturday. “We take seriously reports of subsequent attacks on boats allegedly transporting drugs in the Southern Command area and are taking bipartisan action to compile a full report on the operation in question.”

The United States killed six alleged drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced on October 14, 2025. (RealDonald Trump/The Social Truth)

Commission spokespersons did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the nature of these additional oversight efforts.

Additionally, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, said Monday that she is calling for an investigation into the matter as well, and said Hegseth “owes answers to the American people immediately.”

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The Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump’s goal of eliminating the flow of drugs into the United States.

The White House also confirmed on Monday that Trump is scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday evening to discuss future actions related to Venezuela.