Pete Hegseth, the “secretary of war,” is under fire for the recent boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea, which have been credibly alleged as war crimes. In addition, he’s been under fire for his callous behavior in defending himself.
A Hegseth post earlier this week, featuring a fake book cover of Franklin the Turtle gunning down drug runners at sea, which drew a rebuke from the publisher of the Franklin books.
— kidscanpress (@KidsCanPress) December 1, 2025
“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity,” the publisher Kids Can Press wrote in a statement on X. “We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”
Now, Hegseth has made some more comments, making light of the killings, this time at a cabinet meeting.
According to AFP, Hegseth said at the meeting on Tuesday that the U.S. has “only just begun” strikes against boats.
BREAKING: In a disturbing moment, a room full of Trump cabinet members and high-ranking officials burst into laughter as Pete Hegseth brags about his war crimes.
“It’s hard to find boats to strike,” after murdering survivors of a strike.pic.twitter.com/FOP5AnmQc0
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) December 2, 2025
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“We’ve only just begun striking narco boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean, because they’ve been poisoning the American people,” Hegseth said. “We’ve had a bit of a pause because it’s hard to find boats to strike right now — which is the entire point, right? Deterrence has to matter.”
Also on Tuesday, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), the vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and a former JAG himself, declared that what appears to have happened in the strikes may amount to a war crime.
“I served on active duty as a JAG for four years, and then an additional 21 years in the reserves. And let me be very clear: Killing shipwrecked survivors is a war crime,” the Congressman told reporters this week.
