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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC on April 29, 2026.
(Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
‘Most Convoluted Bullshit I Ever Heard’: Dem Lawmaker Torches Hegseth for Boat Strike Rationale
"With each of these extrajudicial killings, the administration is pirating American values."
Apr 29, 2026
Rep. Bill Keating on Wednesday tore into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's justifications for US strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats that many legal experts and humans rights organizations consider acts of murder.
During a hearing before the US House Armed Services Committee, Keating (D-Mass.) accused Hegseth of overseeing a lawless killing spree that is damaging the US military's reputation throughout the world.
"With each of these extrajudicial killings, the administration is pirating American values," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "We will continue to investigate this. We will. It'll come forward in the future."
Rep. Bill Keating on Hegseth's justification for the military's extrajudicial killings: "I found no justification. We were given classified information on the second strike. I can't discuss it, but I must tell you, it is the most convoluted bullshit I have ever heard in my life." pic.twitter.com/I8gvGaSMcj
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 29, 2026
Keating then said that, after receiving classified briefings on the administration's boat bombings, he found "no justification" for them whatsoever.
"We were given classified information on the second [boat] strike," Keating said. "I can't discuss it, but I must tell you, it's the most convoluted bullshit I ever heard in my life. This should be public. This is our honor. This is what makes America a difference maker."
Hegseth responded by accusing Keating of leveling "an incredible array of false accusations."
The boat strikes, which have been carried out by US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) since September, have so far killed at least 185 people. The Trump administration has not publicly released any evidence showing the targeted vessels were carrying drugs.
Before the Pentagon under Hegseth's leadership began conducting the lethal boat strikes last year, drug trafficking in international waters was treated as a criminal offense, with law enforcement agencies and the US Coast Guard intercepting boats suspected of carrying drugs and arresting suspects.
Trump’s bombings of boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have been called “extrajudicial killings” by advocacy groups including Amnesty International.
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Rep. Bill Keating on Wednesday tore into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's justifications for US strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats that many legal experts and humans rights organizations consider acts of murder.
During a hearing before the US House Armed Services Committee, Keating (D-Mass.) accused Hegseth of overseeing a lawless killing spree that is damaging the US military's reputation throughout the world.
"With each of these extrajudicial killings, the administration is pirating American values," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "We will continue to investigate this. We will. It'll come forward in the future."
Rep. Bill Keating on Hegseth's justification for the military's extrajudicial killings: "I found no justification. We were given classified information on the second strike. I can't discuss it, but I must tell you, it is the most convoluted bullshit I have ever heard in my life." pic.twitter.com/I8gvGaSMcj
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 29, 2026
Keating then said that, after receiving classified briefings on the administration's boat bombings, he found "no justification" for them whatsoever.
"We were given classified information on the second [boat] strike," Keating said. "I can't discuss it, but I must tell you, it's the most convoluted bullshit I ever heard in my life. This should be public. This is our honor. This is what makes America a difference maker."
Hegseth responded by accusing Keating of leveling "an incredible array of false accusations."
The boat strikes, which have been carried out by US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) since September, have so far killed at least 185 people. The Trump administration has not publicly released any evidence showing the targeted vessels were carrying drugs.
Before the Pentagon under Hegseth's leadership began conducting the lethal boat strikes last year, drug trafficking in international waters was treated as a criminal offense, with law enforcement agencies and the US Coast Guard intercepting boats suspected of carrying drugs and arresting suspects.
Trump’s bombings of boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have been called “extrajudicial killings” by advocacy groups including Amnesty International.
Rep. Bill Keating on Wednesday tore into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's justifications for US strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats that many legal experts and humans rights organizations consider acts of murder.
During a hearing before the US House Armed Services Committee, Keating (D-Mass.) accused Hegseth of overseeing a lawless killing spree that is damaging the US military's reputation throughout the world.
"With each of these extrajudicial killings, the administration is pirating American values," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "We will continue to investigate this. We will. It'll come forward in the future."
Rep. Bill Keating on Hegseth's justification for the military's extrajudicial killings: "I found no justification. We were given classified information on the second strike. I can't discuss it, but I must tell you, it is the most convoluted bullshit I have ever heard in my life." pic.twitter.com/I8gvGaSMcj
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 29, 2026
Keating then said that, after receiving classified briefings on the administration's boat bombings, he found "no justification" for them whatsoever.
"We were given classified information on the second [boat] strike," Keating said. "I can't discuss it, but I must tell you, it's the most convoluted bullshit I ever heard in my life. This should be public. This is our honor. This is what makes America a difference maker."
Hegseth responded by accusing Keating of leveling "an incredible array of false accusations."
The boat strikes, which have been carried out by US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) since September, have so far killed at least 185 people. The Trump administration has not publicly released any evidence showing the targeted vessels were carrying drugs.
Before the Pentagon under Hegseth's leadership began conducting the lethal boat strikes last year, drug trafficking in international waters was treated as a criminal offense, with law enforcement agencies and the US Coast Guard intercepting boats suspected of carrying drugs and arresting suspects.
Trump’s bombings of boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have been called “extrajudicial killings” by advocacy groups including Amnesty International.
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