Congress Opens Bipartisan Probe Into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Over Alleged 'Kill Everybody' Order

Congress has opened bipartisan, bicameral investigations after reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered U.S. forces to 'kill everybody' aboard a suspected drug-smuggling vessel following a Sept. 2 Caribbean strike.

Members of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are seeking vigorous oversight and answers about the episode and the wider boat-strike campaign.

ABC News

Republican-led panels say they will intensify scrutiny after the Washington Post reported that a verbal order was given to kill all crew members of the vessel.

Lawmakers from both parties have requested briefings and documents as inquiries proceed.

The White House and Pentagon have pushed back on key aspects of the reporting.

Officials said Admiral Frank Bradley ordered the follow-up "double-tap" strike, while White House spokespeople defended the actions as lawful and said Hegseth authorized strikes but did not give a "kill everybody" order.

Al Jazeera

Hegseth called the story "fabricated," President Trump publicly backed Hegseth and said he "wouldn't have wanted" a second strike, and Pentagon spokespeople disputed portions of media accounts while pledging reviews and briefings for Congress.

Multiple outlets report that former military lawyers say orders to fire on the shipwrecked are forbidden and that senators such as Tim Kaine and Mark Kelly have called for investigations; committees are preparing hearings, document requests and possible subpoenas to determine legal justification.

“President Trump confirmed he had spoken by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro but gave no details, saying only “the answer is yes” and that it was “a phone call”

Baird Maritime

The alleged Sept. 2 incident is set against an expanded U.S. maritime campaign.

Reporting across outlets says strikes since early September have sunk nearly two dozen vessels and, by some counts, killed more than 80 people, drawing international criticism and claims the operations risked harming civilians.

BBC

Venezuelan officials and Colombia's president have protested and called for investigations.

Critics point to the Pentagon's Law of War Manual and to UNCLOS concerns about firing on shipwrecked persons and interfering with vessels on the high seas.

Lawmakers and committee leaders have promised vigorous oversight and document production: House and Senate Armed Services leaders have opened inquiries, sought documents and signaled hearings or subpoenas may follow, and some senators (including Tim Kaine) are pursuing War Powers or other legislative checks on the campaign.

“A top US Navy commander ordered a second round of military strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, the White House has confirmed”

BBC

At the same time, some Republican members urged caution pending formal briefings and stressed the need to hear Hegseth's account, reflecting partisan and procedural tensions as investigations proceed.

BBC

Congressional leaders say they will press the Pentagon for a full accounting.