The U.S. Department of War on Tuesday accused The Washington Post of falsely attributing remarks to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in its coverage of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, as the White House and Pentagon face intensifying questions about the legality of a follow-up strike that reportedly hit survivors of an initial attack.
"Our operations in the SOUTHCOM region are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict," War Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters.
"These actions have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command," Wilson said.
But she added, "a completely fake story in the Washington Post, now discredited by the New York Times, tried to mischaracterize these successful strikes in bad faith," she said. "It was an attempt to damage the secretary and the president, and the people saw through it."
The dispute centers in part on reporting that a second strike was launched against an alleged drug boat after an initial hit left survivors — an episode that has sparked scrutiny from lawmakers and legal experts over whether a follow-up attack on people no longer posing an imminent threat would violate the laws of war.
Wilson said the department has carried out "21 kinetic strikes on drug boats," describing the strikes as self-defense operations against "designated terrorist organizations."
Wilson said the White House confirmed the follow-up decision was made by Vice Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley under existing authorities, and that the War Department and Hegseth back his actions.
The Post's reporting, she said, "even attributed statements to the secretary that were totally fabricated. He never said them. That is the epitome of fake news."
Hegseth, she added, "stands behind Admiral Bradley 100%. Admiral Bradley made the right call, and unlike the previous administration, we have our warfighters back at this department."
The Department of War, she added, "will defend our homeland."
"This is not a catchphrase," said Wilson. "It is a commitment, and as the secretary said, when it comes to killing narcoterrorists, we have only just begun."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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