U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is being accused of sacrificing U.S. Special Operations Command chief Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, after White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt confirmed on Dec. 1, that Bradley had issued the order for a second strike to kill survivors clinging onto the fast boat in the southern Caribbean, after it had been hit by U.S. forces on Sept. 2.
“This is ‘protect Pete’ bulls—,” one unnamed military official told the Washington Post. Leavitt’s statement “left it up to interpretation” as to who was responsible for the second strike that killed the two survivors, a separate military official said, imploring the White House to provide clarity on the issue.
One official said of Leavitt’s statement, “It’s throwing us, the service members, under the bus.” Another person said some of Hegseth’s top civilian staff appeared deeply alarmed about the revelations and were contemplating whether to leave the administration.
