Republicans begin to tighten the screws on Hegseth's Pentagon

"The Pentagon, facing questions about its legal basis for attacking civilian vessels, sent no lawyers to the meeting - a move multiple lawmakers in the room considered inexplicable. The Defense Department officials who did attend, those people said, were unable to explain the mission's strategy and scope - even as President Donald Trump openly mused about expanding the campaign to include land targets inside Venezuela."

"Rep. Mike D. Rogers (Alabama), the House Armed Services Committee's GOP chairman, condemned the secrecy, saying Congress had gotten moreinformationfrom the Pentagon during the Biden administration, according to two people in the room. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private encounter. A spokesperson for Rogers said it would be "inappropriate to share details from classified discussions" and that they wouldn't "be responding to claims about what was said.""

"In the last week, the House and Senate Armed Services committees have opened separate inquiries to determine whether Hegseth or other top Defense Department officials may be culpable for orders they issued in an operation that killed 11 people, including two who survived the initial U.S. missile strike on their boat and perished in a follow-up attack as they clung to the wreckage. Lawmakers and law-of-war experts have questioned whether a war crime was committed."

Pentagon officials attended a classified briefing but sent no lawyers and could not explain the legal basis, strategy, or scope for attacking suspected smuggler vessels. President Donald Trump publicly considered expanding the campaign to include land targets inside Venezuela. Rep. Mike D. Rogers criticized the secrecy and said Congress had previously obtained more information during the Biden administration. House and Senate Armed Services committees opened separate inquiries into whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or other officials issued orders that led to the deaths of 11 people. Lawmakers and law-of-war experts questioned whether a war crime occurred.

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