Defense secretary’s comments recirculating amid dispute over US strikes on alleged drug boats in Caribbean The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, stated repeatedly in 2016 on Fox News that US service members should refuse “unlawful” orders from a potential president Trump – exactly the position he called “despicable” when Democratic lawmakers said it last month. … Read more
At event in California, US defense secretary says Trump has power to take military action ‘as he sees fit’ Pete Hegseth on Saturday doubled down on his defense of US military strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, arguing that Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” … Read more
Defense secretary defiant but allegations of war crimes and blistering watchdog report increase calls for him to go Pete Hegseth is facing the most serious crisis of his tenure as defense secretary, engulfed by allegations of war crimes in the Caribbean and a blistering inspector general report accusing him of mishandling classified military intelligence. Yet … Read more
US defense secretary posted meme depicting beloved children’s character aiming rocket launcher at set of boats Pete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagement A post on social media by US defense secretary Pete Hegseth, depicting a beloved children’s character aiming a rocket launcher at a cluster of … Read more
Defence secretary gave order for strikes but did not say to ‘kill everybody’, according to White House spokesperson Answering questions on Air Force One on Sunday, Donald Trump said his administration “will look into” the reports of the second strike on the alleged boat on 2 September. But the president was quoted as having said: … Read more
Defense secretary called reports about his role in strike as ‘fake news’ intended to discredit US military The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has declared recent reporting that he may have illegally ordered all people to be killed in a military strike in the Caribbean as “fake news” on Friday evening, adding that the series … Read more