Pete Hegseth on Saturday doubled down on his defense of US military strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, arguing that Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” and dismissing concerns that the strikes violate international law.

Hegseth spoke on Saturday at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, amid growing scrutiny over the legality of the attacks and his leadership of the Pentagon .

The defense secretary argued the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people since September, were justified to protect Americans. He compared suspected drug smugglers to al-Qaida terrorists. “If you’re working for a designated terrorist organization and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink

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