564 Comments
User's avatar
Michelle_fromflorida's avatar

Hegseth is responsible, but the admiral is too for following bad orders

Greg's avatar

Wake up call for others in the military who follow illegal orders, also proves Dems senators were in the right when they warned of this behavior

SpudLink's avatar

The military should take into consideration the reality of the lessons of the Iraq War - Torture - Abu Ghraib: eleven U.S. soldiers were convicted by court-martial and some went to prison, but the brass who said it was legal, got off scott free or a slap on the wrist at most. I think we just saw Pete Hegseth's slap on the wrist of Admiral Bradley, who gave this double tap order, which I understand originated with Hegseth’s order to, “kill them all.”

Elaine Lueras's avatar

Yes, “kill them all” is an explicit, violent, and deranged order. The meaning was obvious and it was an illegal order. It should not have been obeyed.

Jedi Senshi's avatar

I wonder if there is a recording of Kegsbreath saying those exact same words. I hope so.

Kalynda's avatar

God, I hope so too. In fact, I hope there are recordings of the whole thing.

Ms. Lee's avatar

Its every man for themselves | if Kegsbreath could somehow have the recording destroyed, you best believe he will | as for the Admiral, he probably didn't even know that he was going to be the sacrificial lamb until he saw his name in the media | Kegsbreath is not honorable and Mr. draft dodging "bone spurs" certainly is not honorable | the Admiral and everyone below him better lawyer up!

Kalynda's avatar

I hope someone's got something to bust loose with! Damn! I'm so pissed off!

No life is worth anything in this regime.

S. A. Linden's avatar

I am repulsed even by Hegseth's talk of "warfighters." WTH? It looks like he went in gunning for bear at the beginning of his appointment. He is nothing but a pretend soldier.

Elaine Lueras's avatar

He is a dangerous poser.

E.C.'s avatar

He's an immoral, unethical, self-focused person who is drunk on power. He is having a great time playing video games with those tiny boats in the Caribbean.

Vera Smothers's avatar

You are spot on! Let's take it back and few years durning Vietnam War where atrocities were encouraged to obtain the numbers the administration had to have to keep the citizens support. Follow the money/resources.

Catherine Voight's avatar

Lived Vietnam Nam..there was very little citizen support!

Vera Smothers's avatar

I can imagine. I had a friend who escaped through Thailand, I believe, and she told me a little about it.

Connie Nichols's avatar

There were all sorts of protests during the Vietnam war. It was very unpopular. Young men were drafted. A lot of them did not want to go. Then they were exposed to Agent Orange which is like Monsanto's Round Up. The government thought it was a great idea to kill the jungle to make it easier for American troops to wage war on N. Vietnam. It sickened & killed American soldiers and made many of them bitterly hate our government.

Vera Smothers's avatar

All true. Then they come home to hate and disgrace. They never wanted to go. The public turned on them and the politicians grew wealthier with no accountability while the military personnel had to fight years and years to get the medical help they deserved.

Jody's avatar

If you wanted to leave no witnesses, isn't that what you would do? 🤨

ASIS's avatar

We should all be outraged!!

Natt Turner's avatar

We already knew this. It has been taught to us over and over again. We are held to a even higher standard than police officers that are supposed to protect the American people and I have never understood why that is

lisa davis's avatar

Yes yu are absolutely right

Music.cheryl@gmail.com's avatar

Thanks for your great reporting, Aaron. Keep at the power players, and keep us informed.

Aaron signor's avatar

Who cares about DEM leanings…Where’s my OG Republicans….gotta root for the Pubs that speak up…unbelievably….MJT…she now has my short clap.

Pauline  parent's avatar

They will continue to throw the military under the bus and use them to fulfill their illegal agenda

Kalynda's avatar

They'll throw anyone and everyone under the bus. That bus is going to have to keep going around the block for a long time to get them all!

Paula's avatar

I stand by [Admiral Bradley] and the decisions he made

betsy smith's avatar

It is spelled out in the manual that shipwreck survivors must not be fired upon. War or peacetime. If in war (which we are not) the survivors must be retrieved and held as prisoners. Anyway, those tiny boats could never reach 1000 miles or whatever it is to the US mainland.

ERNEST HOLBURT's avatar

He violated military law and the Geneva Convention; he committed murder.

Rich Penc's avatar

Every year, even as a contractor, I was required to take a course and test on the Law of War. Oddly, in 2025, the class was cancelled.

Vera Smothers's avatar

HMMMM wonder why? Maybe that thing Pete had to say about rules of engagement and so on had something to do with it? Just say'n.

Paula's avatar

Oddly, yes and no.

Elaine Lueras's avatar

The entire Chain of Command is complicit including the Seal Team Six members who participated. Why are the Republikkkraps so hot to trot to stop this now? Twice Dems introduced resolutions in the Senate - in Oct and Nov - to try to stop the bombings of the Venezuelan boats with a few Republikkkons signing on. Both times the resolutions were shot down because of the Republikkkrap majority. These soul-less, gutless Reoublikkkons are just as responsible for all the people murdered. Hogsbreath is a loose cannon who is unqualified, incompetent, and dangerous. It was just a matter of time before murders like these happened.

Vera Smothers's avatar

We know why this is happening.....OIL OIL OIL. This administration doesn't give a fly'n **** about keeping drugs out of the US and they told everyone that wanted to know in the project 2025 book. That's also why they tried to take Greenland.

John Dignan's avatar

There are minimal amounts of drugs coming from Venezuela anyway. Majority come through Mexico. Of course it’s about oil and to distract from Epstein.

Sharon Gibson's avatar

It is crazy, and the thing is Venezuelan oil is heavy and sour, meaning it is dense and has a high sulfur content. This type of crude requires specialized refineries for processing and is suitable for products like diesel and asphalt. It is more expensive to refine and wells often break down due to high organic matter.

Venezuelan oil is more expensive to refine because it requires specialized and costly facilities to process. The high sulfur content and density mean that many standard refineries cannot handle it, and those that can must invest in advanced equipment and techniques like steam injection and blending with lighter crudes.

Kalynda's avatar

I seriously doubt that the Orange Fascist knows that or cares. Any expense will just be passed on to us peasants anyway.

Vera Smothers's avatar

That was enlightening, thanks for that. I'm sure it doesn't matter to this administration they'll just steal the established refineries also.

SpudLink's avatar

Trump is trying to get into the oil business. 1st with the Saudis OIL, 2nd Attempting to get in bed with Russian OIL, 3rd Steal Venezuelan OIL. I think that about covers your three big 😊ILs. It's just another Trump grift.

betsy smith's avatar

Trump admitted tonight that he could "just take Venezuela's oil".

SpudLink's avatar

I heard Lev Parnas, Aaron's father on another podcast, The Left Hook, explaining how Trump is trying to getting into bed with Saudis, Russians and hoping to steal Venezuelan oil In order to enrich himself and his family.

Vera Smothers's avatar

Oh, I missed that. He already tried by sending in CIA operatives to start propaganda for a rebellion. That didn't go to well it seems.

Ana warner's avatar

And Trump just pardoned a major narco trafficker.. way to wage a war on drugs!!

Grant Rowson's avatar

Don’t forget Canada in this, too. That’s not a simple “take over “ like what they were planning for Greenland and now Venezuela— but they tried to do it economically and politically for all the same reasons— resources and Arctic Ocean control.

Vera Smothers's avatar

That is true. I'm no expert on the artic resources but it seems to me that that whole area is rich in resources.

SpudLink's avatar

The Arctic story is probably true since Trump just said he commissioned six new icebreakers. I seem to remember seeing it somewhere that currently we only have one,

Sher''s avatar
Dec 2Edited

Thanks for bringing this up!!!

Claire's avatar

Yes, a loose cannon is a good description. The guy is drunk with power and is totally crazy.

Jeff Palmer's avatar

I love your spelling.

cindee68's avatar

That is why Mozley (?) quit. He knew he would end up the (dark-skinned, of course) fall guy and was too smart to stick around. I cant keep the names straight!

Vera Smothers's avatar

Yes you are correct and then all the way down to the seal team members....all of them but as usual they will pick a scapegoat.

Elaine Lueras's avatar

Yes...they are already...

Sher''s avatar

I don't believe Trump didn't know about it …

Old Reprobate's avatar

He did say they would kill them all.

Kosmos's avatar

As is, ultimately, Trump as Commander-in-Chief, the person in the chain of command who is most responsible.

ERNEST HOLBURT's avatar

However our wonderful Supreme Court said Trump is allowed to murder people.

Christine's avatar

I agree. The Admiral should have said ‘No sir, respectfully.

But since Hegseth doesn’t care about any code of Military Justice, he probably would have Court Martialed the Admiral .

Trump doesn’t do ‘laws’ and ‘rules’ and neither does Hegseth.

When I see the words’The White House’ I know it’s not Trump. It’s Susie Wiles, or Miller. And since KKKaroline wasn’t in the boat where all this happened, she should just shut the hell up.

ERNEST HOLBURT's avatar

Admiral Bradley wouldn’t have been courtmartialed if he refused the illegal because he would have followed the law. If he was tried, Bradley would have won. Bradley ordered the murders in September and was promoted in October. He murdered people for a promotion. No excuse. A Nazi sub captain was executed by the Allies for doing the same. The US doesn’t need Nazi admirals.

Elaine Lueras's avatar

I agree...if Bradley had refused the order Hogsbreath would probably have fired him and arrested him. But I think much worse will happen to him now.

Polly Iyer's avatar

Doesn’t matter. Even if Hegseth is proven to have given the order, trump will pardon him. No one is guilty in this administration. Of anything. Even murder.

John Dignan's avatar

It would be interesting to find out if the admiral contacted an attorney prior to executing the order.

Kalynda's avatar

Yes, it really would. I don't know enough about military matters to know if that would even help.

Polly Post's avatar

So true…Whether the Admiral was lied to or not about the intent, this “transparency” (as they keep saying) from our current administration seems to only be transparency on social media about how great they are. Not for facts or evidence! Show us is not just a power grab for oil and control ffs.

Ailsa McQuarrie's avatar

🇩🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Yes of course! The entire command chain needs to be held responsible! Most of all theborang turd snoozing in the oval office

Sherry Frank's avatar

He’s hanging the admiral out the dry. We have no idea what the standing order from Hegseth was, nor will we know. Add more Bradley’s career is over and tarnished. Now you get in bed with dogs and you get up with fleas.

vanesa oneill's avatar

IM NOT BUYIN IT ! Im miltary grown and to have this Rank and file to follow thru with THAT order and not have some kind kick from within the ranks just doesnt sit right. Im not saying that there isnt crooked miltary but to have them ALL ccomply ? Somethings up. Im laying my money on HEGSETHS A LIAR bc i dont see any situation that would warrent a double strike. Not to mention they knew they were on tape so creating a lie to say a threat exsisted is going to be tough when there wasnt one to begin with.

Stephen Martinez's avatar

ILLEGAL Orders, as they were. Just because we helped to write the "rules of war" does not mean that we can break them. Disgusting!

MM Harris's avatar

Yep. . . and WTH???? If this is true, he should have known better automatically, but after the recording by Mark Kelly and 5 associates????? Come ON. This is going to be ugly but I hope in the end certain people are relieved of duty and this behavior will be stopped.

Shanna Cushnie's avatar

I hope the Admiral comes forward and tells congress that hegeseth ordered the follow up bombing.

Kerri's avatar

Sure, but if Admiral Bradley followed illegal orders then he needs to be charged, too. And all those who followed the admiral's illegal orders need to be charged as well.

Sarah Melissa Packard's avatar

Yes, the officers and above swear to evaluate plans, as well as swear loyalty to the constitution. Still, you know in Serbia it was actually Melosovitch (impossible to spell) who was charged with war crimes. And in Russia Putin. I believe we don’t belong to the International Criminal Court for just that reason.

Kerri's avatar

The US prosecuted the Germans et al at Nuremburg, so they have to be involved in international criminal policies to some extent.

Regardless, the killing of unarmed civilians, who don't pose an immediate threat to America, is a violation of US Military law - which I read that Trump can't pardon people who are court martialed. The president's pardon power only extends to civilian federal criminal law. (I hope that's true, then Trump couldn't pardon Hegseth, if convicted)

Charlie's avatar

The US is not a signatory to the Rome Statute of 2000, so we do not accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Clinton signed it and W Bush unsigned it. Israel never signed either.

I think it's fair to say the US position is that "war crimes" are committed by other countries.

Kerri's avatar

There's the Uniform Code of Military Justice section 18.3.2.1, the United Nations treaty on International Law of the Sea, the Geneva Convention of 1949, and there's the 1996 War Crimes Act which incorporates the Geneva Conventions into U.S. law.

Charlie's avatar

True! And, we still do not belong to the ICC because we don't want to grant authority to any external entity that can (and will) tell us we've got to answer some questions.'ll take care of it internally. Or maybe we won't.

Grant Rowson's avatar

Correct— that’s exactly why USA hasn’t signed on to the Rome Statute that created the ICC.

Kalynda's avatar

Hey, just like Epstein, I don't care who was involved. If they did something illegal, they should be charged imo.

Kerri's avatar

I thoroughly agree, 100%. I view things as right and wrong, not republican and democrat. MAGA will turn themselves into pretzels to justify "their own"

Mythery's avatar

Nope, Admiral Bradley doesn't deserve your respect if he did cave to Hegseth. They both deserve to roast.

Mike Yochim's avatar

I’m sure he will be part of any congressional hearings.

Justice Peace's avatar

Pete H. is a disgrace.

Kalynda's avatar

This whole rotten regime is. I've never been so disgusted and embarrassed by my government.

Charlie's avatar

That is an understatement.

Jill B.'s avatar

Turn the table on Hogsbreath, and testify with total conviction, that he was ORDERED BY HOGSBREATH TO “KILL THEM ALL”, also include in your testimony that you reminded Whiskey Pete that it was against the Maritime law and the Geneva Convention, but he told you that “he didn’t give a fuck, kill them anyway”!

Jill B.'s avatar

Use their same tactics against them. Find every and any way you can, especially record any conversations you might have with Whiskey Pete and the Feuher from now on, so you can have the receipts. Talk to Lev Parnas if you need tips on snaring them in their own web!

Cradle of help's avatar

So I'm confused. Didn't Whiskey Pete say, “Kill them all?”?

Elaine Lueras's avatar

Yes, but Hogsbreath is now distancing himself from that remark. At the time, he thought he was the big, bad warrior, killing 2 unarmed people hanging onto the wreckage of a boat at sea. He seems to have lost his bignness and badness now...

David Kloak's avatar

He needs to demonstrate that Hegseth and Trump are responsible for the wrongdoing.

betsy smith's avatar

Very obviously, Hegseth has not read the manual where it says shipwreck survivors must not be fired upon.

Marion's avatar

I heard on another podcast that the Admiral was promoted the day after the attack.

Kalynda's avatar

I seem to remember that too.

Lois W. Halbert's avatar

As always, my first read is yours. Thank you.

Ralph Hensley's avatar

He'll likely protect the operation and be responsible for executing the order

J Ro's avatar

Hegseth and Bradley are both guilty of war crimes. I have some empathy for Bradley, but this situation is just what that video that the Senators made reminding military personnel that they are not obligated to follow unlawful orders. It’s illegal to “double tap” and that is exactly what they did.

Emily Melander's avatar

No sympathy for Bradley. None. The entire chain of command is guilty of this war crime. Give no quarters is illegal in international law.

Peter Tey's avatar

You are correct. It seems that Sen. Mark Kelly and friends saw this situation coming. The policy came from orangehead and whether the exact words were uttered bu egseth or not, both are guilty. But members of the top military must be aware of the international laws of warfare and made an oath to the Constitution and laws and should have been forewarned

Benjamin's avatar

Israel does it all the time. If any of these people are held accountable, in any way, even a trivial way, I would be more surprised than if the corpse of LBJ jumped up and shouted about the invention of the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

J Ro's avatar

We are the freaking United States of America. I expect more from us.

Michele Mason's avatar

We do. We all should & we cannot let us forget that. We’ve made alotta promises that we must keep, or nothin’ matters. Get fit! We’ll be doible-timin’ for awhile.

Wanda's avatar

They are all guilty. I have no sympathy for Bradley, he knows better.

J Ro's avatar
Dec 2Edited

Oh, he definitely knows better. My empathy extends to understanding it’s a challenge to most to stand firm in your beliefs and morals with the type of pressure and retribution the Trump administration wields.

I’m by no means excusing him.

Sharon C's avatar

No empathy. He knows better. He could retire with a nice paycheck instead of going along with Hegseth.

Sophia A's avatar

0 sympathy for Bradley. As a military leader, of all people, he is supposed to set an example and he knew this was an illegal order and should not have followed it AND for anyone to say that he did not know this was a legal order, they were admitting that Bradley did not have the knowledge or skill to be in a position of authority

Shelley uritz's avatar

We are not surprised at all. He is a piece of shit

Heather Dust's avatar

And so is KKKCaroline!

Shelley uritz's avatar

Oh god yes. That bitch needs her face ripped off when this is over

Denise's avatar

Finally! Someone said it! I’d like to do the ripping too.

Shelley uritz's avatar

lol. I’m there. The minute this bitch is called out I will be there to rip her face right off

Denise's avatar

We can take turns! 😂

Vera Smothers's avatar

You'll need the "jaws of life" to get through all that stuff on her face, or a jack hammer.

ALC's avatar

yeah, somebody came up with the plan to let her spill the admiral’s name as they start to build a case against him to save DUI hire Pete

David Kloak's avatar

She’s like a dementor and will fade away soon enough.

Tamibetcha's avatar

100!💯 Pete and KKKKaroline ya did it now ! .. lyrics to a song “walls come tumbling down “

Sheryl's avatar

Aaron, thank you so much for the work you do. I count on you for accurate information. I will subscribe and pay when I have extra $$.

Sheryl's avatar

I so dislike the things these men and women say and then fail to accept responsibility for their orders/actions. Like children, always blaming others then telling us how great they are.

Cheryl Beck-Ruff's avatar

This administration can’t kick the hot potato away fast enough. A true “Alpha male” would take responsibility, amiright?

Robot Bender's avatar

These guys aren't "alpha males." There's no such thing. If there were, these guys would all be "omega males." They're at the end of the Greek alphabet.

Your Name's avatar

Tbh even that is too high of a rank for these “men”

C. Deanne Rowe's avatar

Of course they're going to find someone to throw under the bus. That's their MO

Kate's avatar

Is Hegseth actually credible after signalgate?

Don Buckter's avatar

He wasn’t credible before Signal Gate. So, no.

Kate's avatar

You’re not wrong.

ASIS's avatar

No, never has been. Shame on Congress for voting him in.

Julie Marty's avatar

OMG Hegseth is a psychopath

Lulu's avatar

The buck stops nowhere

Nancy Magalhaes's avatar

What can actually be done to stop this administration. It hasn’t even been a year!

Eric Glover's avatar

Dems winning back the House!

Charlie's avatar

Voters electing lots and lots of progressive candidates, and telling the "centrist" and "moderates" to get with the program.

We could elect Dem institutionalists and be mired in "bipartisan compromise" fantasies for another deadly 2 years.

James W's avatar

As a retired member of the military let me say first…Admiral Bradley is no innocent virgin in this story. He was in the room as Operational Commander. He saw the same videos everyone else tied into the mission saw. At some point he either gave the double tap order, or confirmed the order from Hegseth, and/or stood by and did nothing to stop the order from being acted upon. He will eventually pay for his role in this war crime.

With that said, I am appalled, but not surprised, that the President, the White House, and Pete Hegseth are all pointing their blood stained fingers at Admiral Bradley, and hanging him out to dry! If I were him I would be hiring the best lawyer I could afford to get ready for the Congressional Committee hearings that are coming. His chain of command showed no support for him, and now is the time for him to return the favor! He needs to be ready to point his blood stained finger back at Hegseth and Trump!

Sal Teodoro's avatar

Don’t talk about it, be about it and arrest all these traitors.

Charlie's avatar

I sympathize with the feeling. But who is going to arrest them?

Gail Tomarchio's avatar

Hegseth is a murderer, listen to this thug you can tell just that !!

Peter Tey's avatar

On top of that he pardons the biggest cocaine dealer from Honduras

Peter Tey's avatar

And how about the boss who set the policy to shoot boats and seamen guilty or not without due process in international waters

Ms.Yuse's avatar

Of course that’s what they do! It’s ALWAYS the one who carries out the unlawful orders out gets blamed… because in ALL CASES it’s the duty of the servicemen to disobey an unlawful order. However that being said… Pete Hegseth is JUST AS GUILTY IF NOT MORE SO. He gave the original order & that is a fact that was RECORDED… so regardless of what he’s trying to do or say, in the end, it won’t matter!

Ms.Yuse's avatar

They will burn EVERYONE involved… especially Seal Team 6 & the Admiral because they ALL know the laws of our constitution, they are also VERY knowledgeable about our UCMJ & as well the Geneva Convention statues… they have to be because it’s mandatory in their training. That is why the 6 congressman publicly made their statements about disobedience to an unlawful order. I’m surprised it has taken this long to be prosecuted. I heard rumors about this back in September when it first happened. I figured it was just another thing added to the ever growing list of unlawful acts this administration is committing. My question is when are they going to arrest DJT & the rest of the clowns of this 3 ring circus 🤡

Elaine Lueras's avatar

The Republikkkraps are responsible for these boat bombings. The Dems introduced 2 resolutions in the Senate trying to reign in the 🍊 Fat Boi with a few Republikkkons on board. Both resolutions were voted down by the Republikkkons. So many people have been murdered by this Dumpster Fire Regime who have played judge, jury, and executioner…

Grant Rowson's avatar

If ICC ends up convicting him, SCOTUS is irrelevant. Of course, they would have to wait for him to visit his golf courses in Scotland or some such to actually arrest him (that would put his secret service protection detail in an interesting ethics quandary)

WonderWoman's avatar

Unfortunately, a current President can not be arrested 😕 If he survives the next 3 yrs, maybe, just maybe he'll be arrested for something that isn't considered a Presidential Act according to the Supreme Court Immunity that was handed to him.

Sandy S's avatar

That is what DJT want's you to believe. There are limits. Here's an example. If he were to have the members of the Supreme Court killed, do you think he would be allowed to walk away from that? Of course not. Keep that in mind when you make such statements. Don't give him power he does not have, even when you think of him. On a less menacing topic, Look at how the ballroom has been stopped. He's not talking about that because he has been caught being way out of bounds! And the people hated what he was doing, to boot!!! So he keeps the spot light off of it. Let's not let him do that. Let's ask about the silence over the ballroom!!!

It may sound like a little thing, but let's hear his reasons for there not being any ballroom taking shape. It could be revealing.

Valerie Kennedy's avatar

My understanding is that the President doesn’t have the authority to start a war, and that power rests with Congress.

Wouldn’t that mean September 2 wasn’t a “Presidential Act”?

Also, can’t he be impeached? That’s not arrested.

Ms.Yuse's avatar

No but Pete Hegseth can!

Zin Lackey's avatar

At least we HOPE it won’t matter. These guys have an uncanny knack for dodging bullets.

Sarah Melissa Packard's avatar

What this publicity will do is draw attention to the first person who refuses to obey orders, although how much good it will do them legally I don’t know.

Charlie's avatar

The first person to refuse to obey an unlawful order will have a very unpleasant time, even if it's public, and an amputated career. That, I believe, is what happens to whistleblowers. They earn their angel wings, but on earth few if any thank them and continue to thank and support them.

Terri Seagull's avatar

It is not a surprise that they would throw whoever under the bus. Poor Bradley. KKKaroline is such a piece of work. Hegseth is not only driving the bus, but Kkkarokine is backing over him. I hope Pete’s feet will be held to the fire. The cautioning from the 6 senators who warned about following illegal orders were so right on!

Rana Favors's avatar

I don’t feel like “poor Bradley”. He knew better and did the dirty deed anyway, right along with any other members of Seal Team 6. These guys are supposed to be our heroes. Now they’ve shown us how big of zeroes they really are!

Willow Miranda's avatar

Did trump give the first order to destroy the boat?

Terri Seagull's avatar

Good question about his actual command! IDK but his rhetoric set the stage just like he did on Jan 6. Shouldn't be be held accountable for his foreign policy and calling it a war on narcoterrorism when he has bypassed Congress?

Debretrn's avatar

He makes jokes about attacking the fishing boats