Is the Growing Scrutiny Against Pete Hegseth Warranted?

Scrutiny against Pete Hegseth has been growing over boat strikes in the Caribbean. Is it warranted? 

Basic Plausibility Test: Retired Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, writing for Fox News Opinion (Right bias), asserted that "America is now consumed with allegations" that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued an order to "kill-everyone." Maginnis explained that if true, the act would violate the law of armed conflict, but said from where he sits, the allegations "[do] not pass a basic plausibility test." Rather, "we are dealing with conflicting anonymous sources, evolving accounts and intense political motivations."  The original report of the second strike cited two unnamed officials who claimed Hegseth verbally ordered everybody to be killed, and then directly ordered the follow-on strike once survivors were spotted. Maginnis pointed out that a New York Times (Lean Left) report "directly contradicts" this, citing five officials in a separate investigation who said Hegseth did not order the killing of survivors. "One alleges a deliberate war crime," while "the other describes a lawful maritime interdiction mission with a second strike authorized by the operational commander," according to Maginnis, saying "we don't have sufficient evidence to sustain the former — only political pressure to believe the worst."

Fog of Panic: Joan Vennochi, writing opinion for the Boston Globe (Left), claimed that before serving as secretary of defense, Hegseth got it right. However, Hegseth, who "once demanded consequences for war crimes," is now unwilling to "take ownership for the consequences of his order," and according to Vennochi, is "shifting accountability to an underling."  Vennochi explained that Commander of US Special Operations Command, Admiral Frank M. Bradley, has been identified as the one who ordered the second strike, pointing out that Hegseth told Fox & Friends that he watched the strike live, only to clarify at Tuesday's cabinet meeting that he only watched the beginning of the strike before he "moved on" to his next meeting. When pressed for more information on whether he saw survivors after the initial strike, Hegseth said, "This is called the fog of war." However, according to Vennochi, "this is called the fog of panic and the ethos of self-preservation, no matter what the cost to others."   

Is Hegseth's Job At Risk: Anna Mulrine Grobe, writing for Christian Science Monitor (Center), explained that President Donald Trump's boat strikes have already stirred debate, but said this report of a second strike "is drawing the sharpest scrutiny to date of Mr. Trump's boat offensive." According to Grobe, both Trump and Hegseth appear to be distancing themselves from the September Strike. Trump said he believes Hegseth "100 percent" when he said he did not order the second strike, but Trump has also said he "wouldn't have wanted" a second strike. Grobe explained that both Hegseth and the Trump administration have emphasized Admiral Bradley's role, as top lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns over the second strike being a clear violation of the laws of war.

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