Republican Senators torched the Democrat narrative about military strikes on drug boats following a closed-door meeting, accusing them of flat-out lying about the actions taken by U.S. Special Operations Command commander Admiral Frank M. Bradley.
On Wednesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee received a closed briefing from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the briefing on the September 2, 2025, boat strike on narco-traffickers in the Caribbean.
Speaking to members of the press after the meeting, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) defended Bradley and said that what he saw was drug traffickers attempting to continue their mission after the first strike, flip the boat back over, and attempting to connect with other narco terrorists.
READ MORE: Admiral Bradley's Testimony Delivers Devastating Blow to Dem Narrative of Drug Boat Story
Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO): “I just was in the SCIF, I saw the video [of the September 2nd narco boat strike] and I think the Democrats ought to be ashamed of themselves by trying to slander Admiral Bradley, who was executing a lawful order. The men on the boat were trying to… pic.twitter.com/oByKOAhIkH
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) December 17, 2025
“I just was in the SCIF, I saw the video [of the September 2nd narco boat strike], and I think the Democrats ought to be ashamed of themselves by trying to slander Admiral Bradley, who was executing a lawful order.”
“The men on the boat were trying to continue their mission, and that’s the truth,” he added. “You've got to remember where this started. The Democrats and the Washington Post falsely claimed there was a ‘kill everybody' order. That’s false, that’s been debunked even by the New York Times.”
“And so in this instance, the people and the boat were sunk,” Schmitt continued. “And one-hundred percent legally justified. I also reviewed the forty-plus legal memorandum that lays out that justification. So if any Democrat comes out here and questions that, they’re lying to you.”
Schmitt then gave a host of reasons the Democrats were lying, including their not liking Hegseth, President Donald Trump, and more.
“They are willing to throw service members and highly decorated military men and women under the bus, and by the way, encourage people to break the chain of command because they don’t like Trump,” the senator explained.
SEE: That Narrative About Hegseth and the Strike on the Drug Boats Just Imploded Even More
Oh My: Dem Sen. Mark Warner's Troubling Remarks About Pres. Trump and the Military
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) pointed out that under former President Barack Obama’s presidency, Obama conducted 500 strikes killing 3,700 different individuals deemed terrorists, and no one cared, as he called out members of the legacy media.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin speaks to reporters: "Does anybody doubt that these are terrorist organizations?... So what's the difference between Obama attacking these individuals when they were deemed terrorist organizations in the Middle East vs. the ones that are here right now… pic.twitter.com/Oi4j4tgZnk
— One America News (@OANN) December 16, 2025
“Does anybody doubt that these are terrorist organizations?... So what's the difference between Obama attacking these individuals when they were deemed terrorist organizations in the Middle East vs. the ones that are here right now poisoning our streets?” Mullin asked.
Mullin said these cartels are terrorist organizations that are poisoning our streets and killing more Americans in 2024 than the U.S. lost in the Vietnam War.
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), who always has a way with words, kept it simple and straightforward when he said that it was “legal” and “effective.” Period.
President Trump’s military strikes against narco-terrorists carrying drugs to the United States are LEGAL and EFFECTIVE. pic.twitter.com/vYOBkWEc85
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) December 17, 2025
“These military strikes against narco-terrorists carrying drugs in boats to the United States are legal,” Kennedy stated. “They’re effective. [Drug] traffic is way down. The intelligence on which they are based is exquisitely good.”
“There are checks and balances at every stage,” he added. “To make sure that innocent people, who just happen to be in a boat, are not hurt.”
Will this put the whole Bradley “war crime” chatter to bed with Democrats? We doubt it. But at least RedState readers will know the truth: it's a nothing burger.
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