President Donald Trump is distancing himself from a new report that alleges Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may have committed a war crime.
On Friday, the Washington Post revealed Hegseth allegedly gave an order to “kill everybody” on a small boat off the coast of Trinidad on Sept. 2 — including two survivors who were clinging to the wreck after the first missile strike on the alleged drug boat, per people with knowledge of the attack. National security experts say that second strike, if ordered, could amount to a war crime. Lawmakers in both parties are now calling for investigations into exactly what happened.
When Trump was asked about the report aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, he said he “didn’t know anything about it,” insisted Hegseth denied giving the order, and said he “wouldn’t have wanted” a second strike.
But Hegseth isn’t helping his case: Just two hours later, the defense secretary posted a Franklin the Turtle meme that made light of the operation — even as nearly 100 people have been killed in these Caribbean strikes so far.
