Hegseth's Controversies Are Turning Him Into Liability for the Trump Administration, Report Claims

The ongoing U.S. military campaign in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, which the Trump administration claims is aimed at combating drug trafficking organizations, has been heavily criticized by some members of Congress, media members and advocacy groups, putting high-ranking Trump administration officials under intense scrutiny.

As Trump officials continue to argue that the airstrikes that have killed more than 80 people since September are part of a counterterrorism effort in the region, others are raising alarms about the legality of the attacks.

A new article by The New York Times reported that investigations into the matter have put Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the spotlight, with President Donald Trump appearing to distance himself from his defense secretary. The outlet noted that Hegseth has been a political problem for Trump since his Senate confirmation earlier this year.

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The report recalled that Trump said he would not have been comfortable with orders to kill the survivors of the first of more than 20 strikes on vessels off Venezuelan waters.

"Pete said he did not order the death of those two men," Trump said. "I believe him, 100 percent. I wouldn't have wanted that. Not a second strike."

Although Trump's comments suggested he opposed orders to kill survivors, Hegseth shared a controversial image on his X account the same day that joked about the situation in South America. On Nov. 30 he posted an image of Franklin the turtle, from a children's book series, firing a weapon at a cargo vessel from a helicopter with a caption that read "For your Christmas wish list."

For your Christmas wish list… pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025

As reported by The New York Times, while senior U.S. officials said Hegseth did not specifically authorize a second strike that killed two survivors, he did not issue an explicit denial in his own public statements. Instead, he accused the media of pushing "fake news" and delivering false reporting "to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland."

As concerns about the legality of the strikes grow, six Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds released a video in November directed at service members and intelligence officers urging them to refuse any "illegal orders."

"You can refuse illegal orders," they said, speaking directly to service members and intelligence professionals. "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution."

In response, Hegseth ordered an investigation into whether Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot who appeared in the video, should be recalled to service and made to stand for a court martial.

The New York Times reported that although Trump has publicly expressed support for Hegseth, the defense secretary has been excluded from negotiations and duties that would normally fall to him.

In June, when the Trump administration launched airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the outlet said Hegseth was largely out of the operational picture, with Trump preferring to deal with Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, then commander of United States Central Command, and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

And last month, when the United States attempted to restart negotiations on a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, Trump relied on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to carry out the talks.

The military campaign has also raised concerns about its legality even among those deployed to Latin America. According to a recent report, junior officers in the military have asked military lawyers in recent weeks for written approval before taking part in strikes, raising ethical questions among troops.

According to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Washington Post, some personnel are worried they might need attorneys in the future.

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