Admiral testified Pete Hegseth did not give ‘kill them all’ order, US lawmakers say

A U.S. Navy admiral has testified that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not order “kill 'em all” during a controversial second U.S. military strike on a suspected drug ship in the Caribbean, several lawmakers said.

The statements by Democratic and Republican lawmakers came after viewing video of the Sept. 2 double strike incident and Adm. Frank Bradley's testimony at a closed hearing.

The briefing to members of the House of Representatives and then the Senate came amid ongoing questions about the legality of the use of military force against suspected drug vessels.

The White House said Admiral Bradley was responsible for the strikes and that he acted within the law.

Late Thursday, the U.S. military posted on X that it had killed four people in another boat strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean at Hegseth's direction.

Even before news of the latest walkout, lawmakers reacted to the testimony, with the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, saying Adm. Bradley had his respect and “should have the respect of all of us.”

He added: “But what I saw in that room was one of the most disturbing things I have seen in my time in public service.”

“Yes, they had drugs. They were unable to continue their mission in any way,” Himes said.

Following the briefing, Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, issued a joint statement with Himes calling for the video's public release.

“The briefing left us with more questions than answers, and Congress must continue to investigate this matter and provide oversight,” they said.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Admiral Bradley and Hegseth “did exactly what we expected them to do.”

“I saw two survivors trying to turn a drug boat bound for the United States back to continue the fight,” Cotton said.

Republican House Representative Rick Crawford also supported the walkouts and said “I have no doubt” they were handled professionally.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed said in a statement that he was “disturbed” by what he saw, adding that his party would continue to investigate the incident.

It was revealed there had been a one-two punch when the first survivors raised new questions about the legality of the administration's ongoing deadly campaign against the boats because of what the rules of conflict say about targeting wounded combatants.

US President Donald Trump said he has “no problem” with releasing video of the second strike. The video of the first strike has already been published.

During the incident, two survivors of the first strike tried to climb back onto the boat before the vessel was hit a second time, US media, including CBS, reported. The source said the couple appeared to be trying to salvage the drugs.

Adm. Bradley was also expected to tell senior U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that the survivors were a legitimate target because their boat was believed to still contain drugs, according to a U.S. official who spoke to the Reuters news agency.

The Sept. 2 incident was the first in a series of ongoing U.S. attacks on shipping that have killed more than 80 people in both the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

While U.S. officials insist the Sept. 2 attack was legal, the full picture of what happened that day is still emerging.

The Washington Post was the first to report last week that two people survived the first strike and that Hegseth allegedly ordered a second attack to kill them.

At the time, Hegseth immediately denounced the report as “fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory,” and Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said “the entire story was false.”

The existence of the second strike was later confirmed by the White House. Spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said this week that the order did not come from Hegseth but from Adm. Bradley, who acted “within the limits of his authority and the law.”

On Tuesday, Hegseth said he observed the first strike before moving on to other meetings. He said he “personally saw no survivors,” which he attributed to flaming debris and the “fog of war.”

Later that day, the Secretary of Defense recalled, he was informed that Admiral Bradley had decided to “sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” a move he considered justified.

The issue has raised concerns among both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, many of whom have already criticized the military campaign overall.

In addition to deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling vessels, the US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean.

Venezuela itself has repeatedly condemned the strikes and accused the White House of stoking tensions in the region with the aim of overthrowing the government.

Trump said the strikes had led to a significant reduction in drug trafficking along maritime routes, without providing evidence.

Evidence that the individuals targeted in each case were drug dealers was also not publicly presented.

Many experts who spoke to the BBC expressed serious doubts that the second strike on the September 2 survivors could be considered legal under international law.

The former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) previously told the BBC that the US had carried out airstrikes against suspected drug smuggling vessels. will be considered crimes against humanity under international law.

“These are criminals, not soldiers. The criminals are civilians,” he said.

Survivors could benefit from the protection afforded to shipwrecked sailors or those provided to troops found unable to continue fighting.

The Trump administration has framed its operations in the Caribbean as a non-international armed conflict with suspected drug traffickers.

The rules of engagement in such armed conflicts, as set out in the Geneva Conventions, prohibit attacking wounded participants, stating that these participants should instead be detained and treated.

Administrator Bradley has not yet made any public comment on this matter.

One of the dozens of people believed to have died in ongoing US strikes is Colombian Alejandro Carranza, who was last seen on September 14.

Carranza's family filed a complaint with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington, BBC Mundo confirmed.