this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2025
480 points (99.4% liked)

News

33337 readers
2568 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Pete Hegseth is under increasing fire for a double-tap strike, first reported by The Intercept in early September, in which the U.S. military killed two survivors of the Trump administration’s initial boat strike in the Caribbean on September 2.

The Washington Post recently reported that Hegseth personally ordered the follow-up attack, giving a spoken order “to kill everybody.” Multiple military legal experts, lawmakers, and now confidential sources within the government who spoke with The Intercept say Hegseth’s actions could result in the entire chain of command being investigated for a war crime or outright murder.

“Those directly involved in the strike could be charged with murder under the UCMJ or federal law,” said Todd Huntley, a former Staff Judge Advocate who served as a legal adviser on Joint Special Operations task forces conducting drone strikes in Afghanistan and elsewhere, using shorthand for the Uniform Code of Military Justice. “This is about as clear of a case being patently illegal that subordinates would probably not be able to successfully use a following-orders defense.”

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] falseWhite@lemmy.world 111 points 6 hours ago (10 children)

100% nothing will happen, or they will just get pardoned. USA is done. Kaput. All hail Nazi USA.

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 41 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Fairly sure the pardons are already filled out and signed preemptively.

[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 32 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] frunch@lemmy.world 30 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

Ooh ooh how bout an autopen!

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 27 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

with fascists, every accusation is an admission

[–] rayyy@piefed.social 15 points 4 hours ago

with fascists, every accusation is an admission

Once again, A LITTLE LOUDER FOR THE DOLTS IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM.

When dealing with fascists and Republicans - they are the same but Republicans have less scruples and more money -

"EVERY ACCUSATION IS AN ADMISSION."

[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 7 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

no, the autopen is treasonous

[–] alaphic@lemmy.world 5 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (9 replies)
[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 48 points 3 hours ago (2 children)
[–] lando55@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 hours ago

Today I learned the word tragicomical

[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 46 points 3 hours ago (6 children)

Held liable by whom? The President who absolutely would say he agreed with it? The legislature that will talk a good game but fold before doing anything important? The courts who are owned by the parties? Or the police who want this to be SOP, and wouldn't enforce any orders for arrest?

[–] UnspecificGravity@infosec.pub 12 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I guess some of these people expect to still be around in a couple years when there is a new administration that might feel like it's a good idea to prosecute people for crimes they committed for trump.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 hours ago

in a couple years when there is a new administration

IF they don't decide that any resemblance of election integrity is a nuisance they can get rid of with impunity. It's looking less and less likely.

[–] RipLemmDotEE@lemmy.today 8 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

UCMJ is its own system enforced by the military with its own courts. Hegeseth will probably avoid any repercussions, but holding the chain of command responsible for state sponsored murder will send a clear message about obeying illegal orders.

[–] GlitchyDigiBun@lemmy.world 7 points 1 hour ago

And not doing so sends a different, no less clear, message...

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] stupe@lemmy.zip 38 points 6 hours ago

They could be, but they won't.

[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Won't matter if they're held liable by US law.

We need justice that is not beholden to any king or emperor (or would-be whatever). International courts should rule on this. Because local ones won't do anything.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org 4 points 4 hours ago

Interplanetary courts.

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 31 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

good. prison for all of them. genocidal nazis all of them. from the leader to the guy who pushed the button.

ILLEGAL ORDERS MUST BE IGNORED.

The laws will be changed to make them legal. Either that, or de facto standards will "move faster" than laws.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 27 points 6 hours ago
[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 26 points 4 hours ago

Must not could

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 17 points 4 hours ago

He is a murderer... all of them are.

[–] MisterOwl@lemmy.world 16 points 3 hours ago

Could.

But won't.

[–] evenglow@lemmy.world 15 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

"Respect the chain of command." - Babylon 5 TV show

Same thing Democrats said recently. Same thing Milley said last time Trump put soldiers on streets years ago. Back then Trump also said Milley should be hanged for saying it.

[–] ProfThadBach@lemmy.world 10 points 6 hours ago

I love B5 and while the show might look a bit dated now the message sure as fuck is not.

[–] d00phy@lemmy.world 14 points 4 hours ago

… As they should.

… But they won’t.

[–] blargle@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 hours ago

Could is not news. Ever.

[–] xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 10 points 6 hours ago

That's what should happen, but I won't be holding my breath.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 hours ago

Sure, sure, right after we convict Bush, Rice et al., for their war crimes in Iraq.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

This is what happens when you think you're the king.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 3 hours ago

Hahaha! Oh, you were serious? That won't happen.

[–] extremeboredom@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago
[–] WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org 6 points 4 hours ago

Maybe give them what they gave the boats.

[–] pleasejustdie@lemmy.world 6 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I worked at Fort Lewis in the RCF (Regional Correctional Facility, aka prison) and we had an Army soldier who got 3 years for 1st degree murder because he mercy killed a combatant after they got covered in white phosphorous. Literally everyone was like "how the fuck do you only get 3 years for first degree murder?" and then when they read his court documents were like "what the fuck, you got screwed and obviously everyone knew it..." They legally determined that at the moment they were no longer fighting back they became non-combatants and to kill a non-combatant instead of rendering aid is murder. Since the judge and jury agreed that it did violate the law, but hoped that if they were ever in that combatant's shoes, they would want someone to do to them what this soldier did, so yeah, guilty, but sentenced to the bare minimum allowed.

I know for 100% fact there is precedent already. But that is rules for thee, not for them, so I highly doubt we'll see anything happen. I'm sure they'll claim they need immunity because they were operating under special rules of engagement or some bullshit, and it will take years and lots of lawyers and in the end it'll drag on until its forgotten about and gets quietly dismissed somewhere.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 5 points 5 hours ago

Yes, that’s pretty much how war crimes work.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

They are doing the Democrats job. Democrats want the military to refuse illegal orders and the GOP(Goofy Old Phuckers) are helping by punishing the military for obeying them.

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 4 points 44 minutes ago

Including the commander in chief

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago (3 children)

I guess I don't understand why the second strike is worse than the first one?

[–] UnspecificGravity@infosec.pub 18 points 3 hours ago

Because the vast majority of Western nations (including the US) consider it to be a war crime to deliberately make a military strike against survivors of an attack that pose no active threat.

Even that assumes that the original strike has military merit in the first place, which isn't really the case when they are blowing up unarmed boats that might or might not be carrying drugs.

The UCMJ uses “firing on shipwrecked persons” as a specific example of an illegal order.

Firing on an operating crewed ship is, in a very, very broad sense, potentially justifiable. Firing on a disabled ship whose crew is not firing back is not.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

I'm hearing conflicting reports of the timeline.

One version has Hegseth ordering the strike, and after the first hit, there were two guys alive in the water, and Hegseth said "Kill them all," and the second strike was fired.

Another version has Hegseth saying "Kill them all" up front, and the pilot, noticing the two survivors in the water, decided to fire the second shot on his own, in accordance with Hegseth's original order, but Hegseth did not give the specific order to fire a second shot.

In the first version, Hegseth is definitely on the hook for the order to fire the second shot, which was murder, plain and simple. In the second version, the pilot unilaterally made the decision to murder the survivors, giving Hegseth weak deniability. He did order them to "Kill them all," but he could say it was an excited but rhetorical statement at the outset of the operation, but that he didn't mean for the pilot to commit actual murder. He'll act all outraged, and throw the pilot under the bus.

If nothing else (and they are plenty else), MAGA is cowardly.

load more comments
view more: next ›