Senate Majority Leader John Thune declined on Monday to back up Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid bipartisan scrutiny over the Pentagon’s handling of airstrikes targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.
The South Dakota Republican reiterated his support for the overall operations, saying there’s a “rational, legitimate reason” to be conducting the strikes. But Thune also showed support for the Senate Armed Services Committee’s bipartisan effort to probe reports that U.S. forces were ordered to double-strike a boat in what could amount to a war crime.
