MILES PARKS, HOST:
Since early September, the U.S. military has carried out more than 20 strikes on what they say are drug boats in international waters, killing more than 80 people. Now, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees say they want more answers on those deadly strikes. That oversight comes in the wake of new reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally ordered strikes, including a second strike on a boat that had survivors on it, clinging for life. With more on this reporting and the congressional probe, let's bring in NPR's Luke Garrett, who joins me here in studio. Hi, Luke.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: Hey, Miles.
PARKS: So Secretary Hegseth has been posting videos of these deadly strikes on social media. What's new here?
GARRETT: That's right. By now, we are used to unclassified military footage of slender motorboats being obliterated at sea. But what's new here is the chain of command and the specific orders given by Secretary Hegseth. A source familiar but not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR's Tom Bowman that Hegseth ordered the first strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on September 2 and then a follow-up strike that killed all survivors on board. The Washington Post first reported this story that is raising serious questions about the legality of these strikes and whether they are war crimes. The Pentagon has denied these reports, and Hegseth himself posted on X that these strikes are, quote, "lawful under both U.S. and international law."
PARKS: OK. So despite these denials from the Pentagon, we're still seeing members of Congress demanding answers. What exactly do they want to know?
GARRETT: In short, to figure out the veracity of these reports on Hegseth, says Nebraska Representative Don Bacon. The Republican sits on the House Armed Services Committee and tells ABC News...
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DON BACON: We should get to the truth. I don't think he would be foolish enough to make this decision to say, kill everybody, kill the survivors, 'cause that's a clear violation of the law of war.
GARRETT: And over on the Senate Armed Service Committee, Democrat Mark Kelly of Arizona says he hopes these reports are just not true, but if they are, he tells CNN...
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MARK KELLY: I've got serious concerns about anybody in that, you know, chain of command stepping over a line that they should never step over.
GARRETT: And in a rare joint statement, committee chair Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and ranking member Jack Reed of Rhode Island wrote, quote, "we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts."
PARKS: OK. That's what we're hearing from Congress. What are we hearing from the Trump administration?
GARRETT: Right. So Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the military campaign against these alleged drug boats. Here she is on Fox News.
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PAM BONDI: We are committed to taking out these narco-terrorists. President Trump is. Marco Rubio is, our entire administration.
GARRETT: And the administration does have allies in Congress. Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican on the Armed Services Committee, defended Hegseth on CNN.
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MARKWAYNE MULLIN: These individuals don't care about the lives of our friends and families. Why do we care if we take them out in international water? It is a war because they have declared war on our streets.
GARRETT: And then Mullin criticized and even questioned the anonymous sources who say Hegseth ordered a strike on survivors, and he pointed to other strikes where the survivors were sent back to their country of origin.
PARKS: How big of a deal are these congressional investigations?
GARRETT: So legally, Congress does have real powerful levers and tools at their disposal. You know, they can call hearings. They can ask for documents, and even, you know, they have the subpoena power. But we'll have to wait and see how aggressive these inquiries are. But politically, it's significant because, you know, GOP-led committees have not really probed the Trump administration yet, so we'll see what happens here.
PARKS: Luke, thanks so much for being here.
GARRETT: You bet.
PARKS: NPR's Luke Garrett. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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