<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The White House says a Navy admiral acted "within his authority and the law" when he ordered a second, follow-up strike on an </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-news-usa-venezuela-oval-office-meeting-amid-growing-questions-about-his-military-moves/11240690-4124-4eeb-91a4-f623fe5a9ab9" rel="" target="" title="alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea"><span>alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea</span></a><span> in a September US military operation that has come under bipartisan scrutiny.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered the justification for the September 2 strike as lawmakers announced there will be congressional review of the US military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The politicians cited a published report that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-news-usa-venezuela-oval-office-meeting-amid-growing-questions-about-his-military-moves/11240690-4124-4eeb-91a4-f623fe5a9ab9" rel="" target="" title="White House crisis meeting amid questions over Trump's moves"><strong><span>White House crisis meeting amid questions over Trump's moves</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Navy Vice Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who Leavitt said ordered the second strike, is expected to provide a classified briefing on Thursday to politicians overseeing the military.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leavitt in her comments to reporters did not dispute a </span><em><span>Washington Post</span></em><span> report that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her explanation came after US President Donald Trump a day earlier said he "wouldn't have wanted that — not a second strike" when asked about the incident.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Secretary Hegseth authorised Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes," said Leavitt.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/white-house-says-admiral-ordered-followup-strike-on-alleged-drug-boat-insists-attack-was-lawful/2408d405-e39f-40ad-8313-6d5ab990fa42" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Late Monday, Hegseth posted: "Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my one hundred per cent support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September two mission and all others since."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A month after the strike, Bradley was promoted from commander of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of US Special Operations Command.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Concern over the Trump administration's military strikes against the alleged drug-smuggling boats has been building in Congress, but details of this follow-on strike stunned many politicians from both parties and generated stark questions about the legality of the attacks and the overall strategy in the region, and particularly toward Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The politicians said they did not know whether last week's Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical. Still, they said the reported attacking of survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious concerns and merited further scrutiny.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The White House weighed in after Trump on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Pete said he did not order the death of those two men," Trump said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He added, "And I believe him."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leavitt said Hegseth has spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the weekend.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/trump-says-he-plans-to-pardon-former-honduran-president-hernandez-for-2024-drug-trafficking-sentence/9ece262f-d0fe-4cc9-9b9f-0442f3ef1137" rel="" target="" title="Trump to pardon Honduran president's drug trafficking sentence"><strong><span>Trump to pardon Honduran president's drug trafficking sentence</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also spoke at the weekend with the two Republican and two Democratic politicians leading the Senate and House Armed Services committees. He reiterated "his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelon", Caine's office said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The statement added that the call focused on "addressing the intent and legality of missions to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>Congress wants answers</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday broadly defended the operations, echoing the Trump administration position that they're necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Thune said the committees in Congress will look into what happened.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until you have all the facts," he said of the September two strike.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We'll see where they lead."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After the </span><em><span>Post</span></em><span>'s report, Hegseth said on Friday on X that "fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both US and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command," Hegseth wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Hegseth a "national embarrassment" over his response to critics. Schumer demanded that Hegseth release the video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that his panel's investigation would be "done by the numbers".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We'll find out the ground truth," he said, adding that the ramifications of the report were "serious charges".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, who also called for the administration to release the video of the strike, said its inquiry would start "with briefings about what actually happened" from the officials involved.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If they've done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don't they release it?" he asked.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the House, Representative Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of its Armed Services Committee, said he was "satisfied" following a conversation with Hegseth on the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We'll all have clarity on Thursday afternoon," Rogers said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>Venezuela's president reacts</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump met later on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) with his national security team to discuss the ongoing operations and potential next steps against Venezuela.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The US administration says the strikes are aimed at drug cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Maduro. Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump confirmed Sunday that he had recently spoken by phone with Maduro but declined to detail the conversation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Speaking to supporters in Caracas on Monday, Maduro said US pressure has "tested" the country but Venezuelans are ready "to defend it and lead it to the path of peace".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism," Maduro said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The September strike was one in a series carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has ordered the buildup of a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest US aircraft carrier. More than 80 people have been killed in the strikes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Venezuela's National Assembly has announced the launch of an investigation into the lethal strikes. Sunday's announcement by the Assembly's president, Jorge Rodríguez, was the first time that a Maduro government official explicitly acknowledged that Venezuelans have been killed in the months-long US military operation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rodríguez, Maduro's chief negotiator, said a group of politicians will come together to investigate "the serious events that led to the murder of Venezuelans in the waters of the Caribbean Sea".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-willing-to-release-mri-results-but-no-idea-which-part-of-body-it-examined/480a3a41-765b-47bc-87e6-7937ab789537" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Trump willing to release MRI results, but 'no idea' which part of body it examined</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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