White House says special ops commander approved second strike on Venezuelan drug boat survivors

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Special Operations Command Commander Adm. Frank Bradley was responsible for ordering a controversial second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat earlier this year.

The strike, which took place in September, came after the first missile strike left two survivors holding onto the wreckage. The Trump administration claimed the drug boats are trying to smuggle illicit drugs such as fentanyl into the United States.

Leavitt claimed that Bradley's decision to order the second strike was within his authority and protected under the Law of Armed Conflict after bipartisan lawmakers raised concern that the strike could constitute a war crime, according to the Washington Times.

“Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law. He directed the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat of narco-terrorists to the United States was completely eliminated,” Leavitt said in a press briefing.

Leavitt's identification of the commander responsible for the strike places some distance between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the controversy. 

The comment also comes as President Donald Trump is expected to meet with his national security team later Monday, where they are expected to discuss Venezuela.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.