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Defense Secretary Hegseth Faces Backlash Over War Crimes Accusations

12/3/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A typo on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's name card labeled him as the "SSecretary of War" at a Cabinet meeting, triggering backlash from critics including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
He defended controversial airstrikes against a suspected drug boat, drawing accusations of war crimes for targeting survivors.
He claimed to have delegated responsibility for the strikes to Admiral Frank Mitchell Bradley, despite admitting he watched the first attack live.

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Story summary

A typo on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's name card labeled him as the "SSecretary of War" at a Cabinet meeting, triggering backlash from critics including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
He defended controversial airstrikes against a suspected drug boat, drawing accusations of war crimes for targeting survivors.
He claimed to have delegated responsibility for the strikes to Admiral Frank Mitchell Bradley, despite admitting he watched the first attack live.