Overview
- The Pentagon inspector general concluded Hegseth used a personal phone to share confidential details on Signal, taking risks that harmed Defense Department personnel and mission objectives.
- Admiral Frank Bradley briefed Congress and showed Sept. 2 footage of two survivors later killed, which Rep. Jim Himes called deeply disturbing while Sen. Tom Cotton said the strike was lawful and Democrats strongly disagreed.
- Some Republicans, including Rep. Don Bacon and Sen. Thom Tillis, voiced concern, with Bacon saying the rules of war do not permit killing survivors who pose no immediate threat.
- Hegseth and the White House maintain the actions were legal as part of a declared fight against so‑called drug‑terrorists allegedly tied to Venezuela, though the administration has not presented evidence for those links.
- Hegseth declared himself fully exonerated on X even as The New York Times sued the Pentagon over new access rules that excluded dozens of reporters after broader U.S. operations since September reportedly killed more than 80 people and warships were deployed off Venezuela.