Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has a problem. A Pentagon watchdog report just found that his infamous Signal chat put U.S. personnel at risk. And Democrats are calling for his head.
If you haven't been following this story, buckle up. It involves a suspected drug boat, two airstrikes, allegations of war crimes, and a defense secretary who reportedly gave a verbal order to "kill everybody."
What Actually Happened
Back in September, U.S. forces struck a boat the Pentagon says was carrying drugs from Venezuela. After the initial strike, survivors clung to the wreckage. Then came a second strike targeting those survivors.
Legal experts say that second strike was likely a war crime. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns. The Washington Post reported Hegseth gave a verbal order to "kill everybody" on the boat — though Hegseth disputes this, saying he watched the first strike live but didn't stick around for the follow-up.
The Signal Problem
The Pentagon Inspector General's report found that had the intelligence Hegseth shared via Signal been intercepted by an adversary, it would have endangered servicemembers. Using an encrypted messaging app for sensitive military communications raises obvious security concerns — and apparently, those concerns were justified.
Hegseth defended the double-tap strike at a Cabinet meeting yesterday, calling it a lawful act of self-defense. The White House is backing him up. But the questions aren't going away.
Why This Matters Beyond Washington
The bigger issue here isn't just one controversial strike. It's about accountability, chain of command, and what happens when military operations are coordinated through informal channels.
A former senior military lawyer told PBS that second strike "was a violation of the laws of war." Whether anything comes of these allegations remains to be seen. But the damage to Hegseth's reputation — and potentially to America's standing on international law — is already done.