Washington Post Stands Firm Behind Allegedly False Report Suggesting War Crime by Top Trump Administration Official
The Washington Post is standing by its explosive report claiming that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the deaths of everyone on board an alleged drug boat in a September bombing, despite Pentagon officials and lawmakers denying the allegations.
According to the Post's story published last month, Hegseth gave a directive to "kill them all" before the operation took place. However, Adm. Mitch Bradley, who led the military operation, has repeatedly denied receiving such an order.
"I was very clear that I was given no such order," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told reporters on Thursday after attending a closed-door hearing with Bradley. "The admiral confirmed that there had not been a 'kill them all' order, and that there was not an order to grant no quarter."
Bradley testified in the same hearing, stating he did not receive any such directive from Hegseth.
In response to the Post's report, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called for the outlet to retract its story, labeling it a "hoax" against Hegseth. The Post has maintained that its reporting is based on reliable sources and evidence, but declined to comment further in light of Bradley's testimony and other reports from reputable news outlets.
Critics have pointed out inconsistencies between the Post's initial report and subsequent stories suggesting that the operation was aimed at capturing the survivors, not killing them all. The New York Times published a story headlined, "Hegseth Ordered a Lethal Attack but Not the Killing of Survivors, Officials Say."
In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Hegseth defended his actions and Bradley's decision-making process, calling it "the fog of war" that cannot be understood by those not directly involved in combat operations. He also stated that reporting false information about American heroes is irresponsible.
Lawmakers have called for investigations into the alleged war crime allegations, with some urging Hegseth to testify before Congress. The controversy surrounding the incident highlights tensions between the Trump administration's foreign policy actions and accusations of wrongdoing by top officials.
As this story continues to unfold, it remains unclear whether Hegseth will face any repercussions from his reported comments on the operation, or if the Post's report ultimately stands as a valid account of events.
The Washington Post is standing by its explosive report claiming that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the deaths of everyone on board an alleged drug boat in a September bombing, despite Pentagon officials and lawmakers denying the allegations.
According to the Post's story published last month, Hegseth gave a directive to "kill them all" before the operation took place. However, Adm. Mitch Bradley, who led the military operation, has repeatedly denied receiving such an order.
"I was very clear that I was given no such order," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told reporters on Thursday after attending a closed-door hearing with Bradley. "The admiral confirmed that there had not been a 'kill them all' order, and that there was not an order to grant no quarter."
Bradley testified in the same hearing, stating he did not receive any such directive from Hegseth.
In response to the Post's report, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called for the outlet to retract its story, labeling it a "hoax" against Hegseth. The Post has maintained that its reporting is based on reliable sources and evidence, but declined to comment further in light of Bradley's testimony and other reports from reputable news outlets.
Critics have pointed out inconsistencies between the Post's initial report and subsequent stories suggesting that the operation was aimed at capturing the survivors, not killing them all. The New York Times published a story headlined, "Hegseth Ordered a Lethal Attack but Not the Killing of Survivors, Officials Say."
In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Hegseth defended his actions and Bradley's decision-making process, calling it "the fog of war" that cannot be understood by those not directly involved in combat operations. He also stated that reporting false information about American heroes is irresponsible.
Lawmakers have called for investigations into the alleged war crime allegations, with some urging Hegseth to testify before Congress. The controversy surrounding the incident highlights tensions between the Trump administration's foreign policy actions and accusations of wrongdoing by top officials.
As this story continues to unfold, it remains unclear whether Hegseth will face any repercussions from his reported comments on the operation, or if the Post's report ultimately stands as a valid account of events.
The Washington Post is standing firm but like, why didn't they just retract their story already? 
And then there's this whole thing with Sen Tom Cotton saying Adm Mitch Bradley said no 'kill them all' order... but wait, isn't that contradictory? 
I mean, I'm not saying it was true or anything, but can we please get some facts here? 
The Pentagon is calling it a hoax and now everyone's all bent out of shape. What really went down on this boat? 
And btw, if the Post didn't do their due diligence then they shoulda at least admitted it 
. This whole thing has me shook, fam 
. It's like they're trying to backtrack on their own story? 
. I mean, that's just not how journalism works, guys 
. And what's up with all these lawmakers calling for investigations into this alleged war crime? It feels like they're more interested in scoring points against each other than actually getting to the bottom of things 
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Maybe we can get to the bottom of this soon? 
The Washington Post is all like "we got the scoop" and then Pentagon officials are all "hey nope, not true" 
. but you know what? i think pete hegseth did order the kill them all thing. not because he was some kind of bad guy or whatever, but because in the heat of battle, sometimes you gotta make tough decisions and that's just how it goes down 
. and let's be real, we don't know everything about what went down in that op. so shouldn't we just chill for a sec and not jump to conclusions? 
. If Hegseth really did order the deaths of everyone on that boat, why would he do something like that and then claim it was part of some "fog of war" thing? It's all very suspicious. But at the same time, I don't want to assume someone's guilt without more evidence. We need to let this play out and see how it all unfolds.
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. Meanwhile, Hegseth is getting roasted by some folks who are just trying to protect him from the fallout 
If they're saying that Hegseth ordered a massacre and now everyone's just backing down because some other dude says he didn't get an order, then I'm calling BS. 
and I need more tea 
. But at the same time, I gotta wonder... what's really going on behind the scenes? 
. and now senator tom cotton (r-ark) is coming out all guns blazing too, saying hegseth never gave any order like that