Politics
WATCH: Dem Senator Caught Lying About Drone Strike After Accusing Hegseth Of ‘Murder’
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is under fire after accusing War Secretary Pete Hegseth of “murder” over drone strikes targeting drug bots off the coast of Venezuela. After making the incendiary accusation, Duckworth claimed that she was basing her comments off seeing the video, only to admit moments later that she had not actually seen the footage.
Duckworth and her fellow Democrats have been repeatedly accusing the Trump Administration of committing “war crimes” in reference to a September 2 operation in which a follow-up strike was ordered targeting survivors of a strike on a drug boat. Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who currently serves as the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), briefed lawmakers Thursday that he had ordered the strike himself, while Hegseth on Saturday stood by Bradley and said he also would have ordered the strike if he was in command.
Bradley added that the drug traffickers targeted were still in communication with fellow traffickers and were attempting to salvage narcotics at the time of the strike. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) said following the briefing that actions taken by the traffickers indicated that they were still in the fight, adding that the strike was valid due to “fog of war.”
Still, Democrats have spent the last week attempting to spin airstrikes targeting drug traffickers into a major scandal. Duckworth escalated the rhetoric to dangerous levels on Sunday when she accused Hegseth of committing “murder” while speaking with CNN.
“Well, there was actually a vote by Congress to put us at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There was no such vote. There was no such debate here in this situation. So everything that they’ve done has been illegal. It’s illegal under international law, it’s illegal under the Geneva Convention, and it certainly is illegal under domestic law,” Duckworth said. It should be noted that Duckworth’s outrage only applies to Republican presidents, as she has never accused former Presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden of committing “war crimes” for military actions undertaken without congressional approval.
She went on to claim that the drug traffickers targeted in the September 2 strikes were not headed to the United States. “You had two survivors clinging to half of a boat, and then you went in, and you killed them. That’s the Geneva Convention. It was essentially murder with that double-tap strike,” the senator declared.
“Under all the international laws of warfare, you are supposed to help render aid to that individual. You’re not allowed to go back in and kill them.”
Bash followed up by asking Duckworth whether she had seen the video, to which she replied in the affirmative. “I have seen the video, and it is deeply disturbing,” she said.
“I just want to be sure,” Bash reiterated. “You have seen the classified video?”
Just seconds after claiming that she had indeed viewed the footage, Duckworth conceded that she had not seen it and was instead basing her comments on media reports.
“Double tap” strikes — which Democrats are now accusing the Trump Administration of “war crimes” for using — have been used under Democrat presidents in the past, including Barack Obama.
Just three days into his presidency, Obama authorized two drone strikes in Waziristan, Pakistan. Three hours apart, the strikes were the first of his administration and an early instance of double-tap tactics. At least 20 civilians were killed in the strikes.
In January 2012, a strike in the Shawal Valley targeted Taliban commander Sadiq Noor, followed by a second attack that killed up to 14 people, including potential first responders. Democrats did not call for Obama to be investigated for “war crimes” at the time.
