In a rare bipartisan thunderbolt on Capitol Hill, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has vowed to launch a relentless probe into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, declaring that reports of U.S. forces killing stranded survivors in a Caribbean boat strike demand “vigorous oversight” and accountability. Wicker, in a joint statement with Democratic Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) on December 2, 2025, directed formal inquiries to the Pentagon, promising to uncover the facts behind the September 2 incident that has sparked war crime allegations and exposed deep fissures in the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-drug campaign. “We will conduct vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances,” the senators wrote, signaling a no-holds-barred investigation that could ensnare Hegseth in a scandal threatening his tenure. This comes hot on the heels of Hegseth dismissing the explosive Washington Post report as “fake news,” a move that’s only hardened resolve from both sides of the aisle, with even prominent Republicans signaling they’re “tired of his murderous disrespect for the law.”

The controversy detonates from a high-seas operation in international waters off Venezuela, the inaugural strike in Trump’s “war on narco-terrorists.” U.S. surveillance pinpointed a vessel allegedly ferrying fentanyl precursors, prompting Hegseth’s verbal order to SEAL Team 6: eliminate the threat completely. The first missile obliterated the boat, killing nine occupants presumed to be Tren de Aragua gang members. But two survivors clung to the wreckage, waving for mercy as flames licked the debris. What followed, per multiple U.S. officials speaking anonymously to the Post, was a second strike ordered by Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley to comply with Hegseth’s directive of “no survivors,” vaporizing the men in a move that legal experts slam as a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions’ protections for shipwrecked combatants. Hegseth, in a fiery X post on November 28, branded the reporting “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory,” insisting all 20+ Caribbean strikes are “lawful under both U.S. and international law.” Yet he didn’t deny the second strike, only claiming he “didn’t stick around” post-launch to watch real-time feeds.

Wicker and Reed’s declaration marks a turning point, bridging partisan divides in a probe that’s already ballooned to encompass the entire operation’s legality. “These are serious charges,” Wicker told reporters, emphasizing the committee’s access to classified audio, video, and intelligence. Reed echoed: “Killing helpless sailors is a violation of the Geneva Convention and maritime law—what the Trump admin did is 100% illegal, and Hegseth knows it.” The duo’s move follows Rep. Ted Lieu’s (D-Calif.) war crime accusation on November 30, where the ex-JAG officer warned of “no statute of limitations” for such acts. Even Republicans like Sen. Tom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), both veterans, expressed doubt: “I don’t think he was up to the task,” Bacon said, questioning Hegseth’s “fog of war” defense.

Hegseth’s past bites back hard. A resurfaced 2016 clip shows him decrying “abject war crimes” and stressing military ethos: “There’s a standard… consequences for violations.” Critics, including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), now demand reconciliation: “Hegseth is a war criminal and should be fired immediately.” The White House, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisting “lawful” strikes approved by “the best lawyers,” has distanced Trump: “Pete said he didn’t order the death of those two men.” Yet sources confirm Bradley acted to “fulfill Hegseth’s directive,” raising chain-of-command questions.

The 20+ strikes have killed over 80, mostly Venezuelans, under a controversial policy bypassing traditional interdiction for “lethal kinetic” action. With no body cams released and the Pentagon stonewalling, the Senate’s “vigorous oversight”—including hearings by February 2026—looms as Hegseth’s crucible. “Even prominent Senate Republicans do not believe it is fake news—and they are tired of his murderous disrespect for the law,” Lieu tweeted, amplifying the bipartisan blade. As inquiries mount, Hegseth’s fate hangs in the balance—war crime or wartime necessity? Capitol Hill’s crosshairs are locked; the reckoning is underway.