The publisher of the Franklin children's book series has rebuked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he posted a meme of the anthropomorphic turtle firing on drug boats.

Hegseth's social media post from Sunday shows the turtle, clad in tactical gear, standing on a helicopter and aiming a machine gun at one of several boats in the water below. It's designed to look like an edition of the children's book, but titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists .

"For your Christmas wish list …" Hegseth wrote in the caption, as he faces growing scrutiny over the legality of a set of strikes on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean in early September.

On Monday, Toronto-based publishing house Kids Can Press released a statement defending Franklin as a "beloved Canadian icon who has inspired

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