Admiral Denies ‘Kill All’ Order in Boat Strike, Lawmakers Say

December 4, 2025, 7:24 PM UTC

The US admiral whose strikes on an alleged drug-running boat have drawn bipartisan scrutiny and prompted accusations of possible war crimes told lawmakers on Thursday he was not ordered to kill everyone on board.

The assurance by Admiral Frank Bradley, confirmed by key lawmakers from both parties, that there was no “kill all” order appeared to tamp down GOP pushback on the Sept. 2 strikes even as Democrats expressed alarm by what they heard and saw in the classified briefing.

The Washington Post reported last week that Secretary Pete Hegseth had given a spoken order to kill everybody on board ...

Learn more about Bloomberg Government or Log In to keep reading:

See Breaking News in Context

Providing news, analysis, data and opportunity insights.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.