Updated December 4, 2025 at 1:52 PM PST

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced scrutiny on two fronts Thursday, as lawmakers zeroed in on the legality of a Sept. 2 strike on survivors aboard an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, while separately a Pentagon watchdog faulted him for using Signal to discuss a U.S. attack on Yemen.

Lawmakers in both chambers were shown video of the boat strike behind closed doors in briefings with Navy Admiral Frank M. Bradley, the Special Operations commander who oversaw the operation. After those briefings, leading Democrats expressed shock at what they saw, with the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee calling it "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service."

"You have two individuals in clear distress, without any

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