The View cohosts have targeted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the aftermath of repeated, deadly strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
On her first live show in nearly two weeks, moderator Whoopi Goldberg returned to the Hot Topics table Monday to introduce a discussion about controversy surrounding strikes on the Venezuelan vessels, which Sec. Hegseth has said are intended to “stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.”
Goldberg, however, said that Hegseth has “taken a lot of heat” as she cued up a clip package that included various political figures on both sides of the aisle discussing an alleged Sept. 2 strike, in which unconfirmed reports allege that Hegseth gave an order to kill all aboard a boat, including two people who survived an initial strike.
“I know this is why those Democratic vets put out that video last week that people said, why would they need to say what’s already obvious? They don’t need to, they can refuse to act on an illegal order, and people are like, yeah, but there’s nothing like that,” cohost Sara Haines observed. “Well, this is a situation where there were clearly, in the cameras, two men on parts of the explosion, and then they’re killed. So, the likelihood of this is, we’re not at war with Venezuela, but it’s murder. It’s flat-out murder, and anyone that acted on those orders could be held on war crimes.”
Former federal prosecutor and legal expert Sunny Hostin said that “the fact that they are dropping bombs in international waters outside of Venezuela and closing Venezuelan airspace seems to be some sort of subterfuge for something else,” before weighing in on the legality of the strikes.
“I’m not a geopolitical expert, but in terms of the law of it, you’re right, Sara. That’s why those army vets explained you do not have to follow illegal orders,” Hostin observed, before referencing the deaths of the pair of strike survivors Haines previously discussed. “What you’re supposed to do under international law, you are supposed to take those fighters as war criminals, prisoners of war, and you’re supposed to give them refuge, you’re supposed to take care of them, and then you’re supposed to put them into a court of law. Instead, they killed them.”
Hostin speculated that, “That means the person who gave the order can be held accountable and put in prison, and that means the people that conducted the orders, that pulled the trigger, are also responsible and can be held accountable. Now, you have people that are serving their country, serving this country, as patriots, perhaps following an illegal order, and then themselves can be court-marshalled. Imagine that.”
Goldberg quickly replied, alleging that “what [Hegseth has] done is, he’s set them up,” while Hostin responded, “If it’s true.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Sec. Hegseth tells Entertainment Weekly via email, “we have nothing for you beyond Secretary Hegseth’s statement on X.”
Earlier in the segment, The View played footage of various political figures discussing the matter, with Republican Rep. Don Bacon saying on Sunday’s edition of This Week With George Stephanopoulos that “we should get to the truth” and that he doesn’t “think he’d be foolish enough to make this decision to say kill everybody, kill the survivors, because that’s a clear violation of the law of war.”
Whoopi Goldberg on ‘The View’.ABC
Fellow Republican, Rep. Mike Turner, said on CBS’ Face the Nation that “if that occurred, that would be very serous, and I agree that it would be an illegal act,” while President Donald Trump maintained that Hegseth “said he didn’t do it,” and supported his appointee.
In his aforementioned social media post about the strikes, Hegseth alleged that “the Biden administration preferred the kid gloves approach, allowing millions of people — including dangerous cartels and unvetted Afghans — to flood our communities with drugs and violence,” while “the Trump administration has sealed the border and gone on offense against narco-terrorists. Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them.”
He continued, “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”