Pressure grows on reckless' Hegseth as twin scandals engulf Pentagon chief

"Pete Hegseth is facing the most serious crisis of his tenure as defense secretary, engulfed by allegations of war crimes in the Caribbean and a blistering inspector general report accusing him of mishandling classified military intelligence. Yet despite the long list of trouble and as lawmakers from both parties call for his resignation, Hegseth shows no signs of stepping down and still holds Donald Trump's support."

"The most recent controversy comes as the Caribbean campaign centers on the Trump administration's extrajudicial strikes against suspected drug smugglers, which have killed at least 87 people across 22 attacks since September. Trump has justified the operation as essential to combating fentanyl trafficking, claiming each destroyed vessel saves 25,000 American lives, though factcheckers, former officials and drug policy experts have called this figure absurd, noting that fentanyl primarily enters the United States overland from Mexico, not via Caribbean boats from Venezuela."

Pete Hegseth faces simultaneous crises involving alleged war crimes in a Caribbean campaign and an inspector general finding that he mishandled classified military intelligence. The Caribbean strikes targeted suspected drug smugglers and have killed at least 87 people across 22 attacks since September, raising questions about legality and operational oversight after survivors of a strike were reportedly killed in a follow-up attack. An investigation found that Hegseth violated Pentagon policy by sharing sensitive details via the Signal app before Yemen airstrikes. Lawmakers from both parties have called for his resignation, but he remains in office with presidential support.

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