Post Reports Pete Hegseth said to kill everybody, officials say
Dec 1, 2025
Alex Horton, a national security reporter for The Washington Post, dives into a controversial Pentagon strike that left two survivors dead, allegedly on the order of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He discusses the military's role in combating drug trafficking and the striking nature of Hegseth's command. Horton examines the legality of attacking survivors at sea, the definition of traffickers as combatants, and the implications of extrajudicial killings. The conversation also touches on Congressional reactions and connections to Venezuela, revealing a secretive and complex military operation.
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Second Strike Killed Boat Survivors
- Alex Horton describes a September 2 strike where a missile hit a drug-smuggling boat and set it ablaze.
- He reports two survivors clung to wreckage and a second strike was ordered that killed them in the water.
Shipwrecked People Are Protected Differently
- Alex Horton explains maritime law treats shipwrecked survivors differently than combatants on land.
- Shipwrecked people have limited ability to fight back, raising stricter limits on lawful targeting.
Traffickers Often Aren't Combatants
- Horton notes the law of war applies to combatants, not ordinary criminals or fishermen coerced into smuggling.
- He says many people on smuggling boats are low-level couriers, not cartel leaders, complicating military targeting claims.