Admiral who ordered second strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat to brief key lawmakers

Special Operations Command Comdr. Adm. Frank Bradley, who ordered a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat, will brief lawmakers who oversee the military on Thursday.

The lawmakers are investigating the Sept. 2 military attack that included a second strike, which killed any survivors, The Associated Press reported.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized Bradley, who acted within his authority, to conduct the strike, which was protected under the Law of Armed Conflict.

Bipartisan lawmakers have raised concerns that the strike could constitute a war crime. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have opened probes into recent U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.