Overview

• The New York Times reports Trump personally authorized a 2019 SEAL Team 6 effort to plant an eavesdropping device to monitor Kim Jong-un’s communications.
• Operators encountered a small boat during the nighttime insertion and opened fire within seconds, killing two to three unarmed shellfish gatherers, according to the accounts.
• The team aborted the mission without placing the device and was extracted at high risk by a U.S. nuclear submarine after disposing of the bodies at sea.
• A secret Pentagon review later deemed the shootings justified under rules of engagement, while key congressional committees were not briefed at the time and were informed only later under the Biden administration, according to reports.
• Sen. Mark Warner called for congressional scrutiny; the White House and Pentagon declined to comment, and Trump told reporters he knew nothing about the operation, according to media reports.