WASHINGTON (CityNewsOKC) — The White House on Monday defended the legality of U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela while announcing an active reexamination of all Afghan nationals brought to the country under the Biden administration, following the fatal shooting of a National Guard soldier blocks from the White House.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized a second strike on Sept. 2 that killed survivors of an initial attack on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean — a revelation that has prompted congressional inquiries and accusations of potential war crimes from Democratic lawmakers.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narco-terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” Leavitt told reporters. “With respect to the strikes in question on September 2nd, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”
Leavitt rejected a Washington Post report that Hegseth gave a verbal order to “kill everybody” before the strikes. “I would reject that the Secretary of War ever said that,” she said. “However, the president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs towards the United States, he has the authority to kill them. And that’s what this administration is doing.”
The administration’s defense came as congressional committees from both parties have launched inquiries into the incident. The strikes have killed more than 80 people since September as part of a campaign the Trump administration says targets drug trafficking linked to the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro.
Afghan Refugee Review Announced
Leavitt opened Monday’s briefing with an extended statement linking last week’s Thanksgiving eve shooting in Washington to broader immigration policy, announcing that the Trump administration is “now actively reexamining all of the Afghans imported into the country by Joe Biden.”
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia was killed in the Nov. 26 ambush, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized in serious condition. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who once worked with CIA-backed forces in Afghanistan, was shot by responding National Guard members.
“A foreign terrorist that the Biden administration failed to properly vet ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were honorably serving here to keep the residents and visitors of Washington D.C. safe,” Leavitt said.
She recounted multiple examples of what she described as dangerous Afghan nationals who entered under the prior administration, including individuals arrested for plotting a terrorist attack in Oklahoma and others who shot police officers.
“Nearly 100,000 Afghans were recklessly released into the United States with little to no vetting,” Leavitt said. “There was no regard for the disorder and violence that this would unleash on American communities and American culture.”
The press secretary announced that special immigrant visas utilized by many Afghans have been paused, refugee admissions for Afghans were suspended on day one, and all asylum adjudications are now paused for additional vetting.
“Any individual who threatens our national security or our citizenry will be subject to removal,” Leavitt said. “President Trump has already permanently paused the migration of foreign nationals from third-world countries that pose a very high risk to the United States.”
Ukraine Peace Talks ‘Optimistic’
Leavitt confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Moscow this week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the administration pushes to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.
“The administration feels very optimistic,” Leavitt said, noting that U.S. officials held “very good talks with the Ukrainians in Florida” on Sunday before Witkoff’s departure. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner participated in the Florida discussions with Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.
“This is sort of the shuttle diplomacy that you’ve seen from this administration play out where we speak equally with both sides,” Leavitt said. “We’ve put points on paper. Those points have been very much refined. But as for the details, I will let the negotiators negotiate. But we do feel quite good and we’re hopeful that this war can finally come to an end.”
The meeting with Putin, scheduled for Tuesday, will focus on a revised 19-point peace plan that emerged from negotiations in Geneva last week.
Trump Health Update
Leavitt also released results from President Trump’s recent executive physical, reading from a statement by the president’s physician.
“President Trump’s cardiovascular imaging was perfectly normal. No evidence of arterial narrowing, impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels,” Leavitt read. “The heart chambers are normal in size. The vessel walls appear smooth and healthy and there are no signs of inflammation or clotting. Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health.”
The release came after Trump promised to share the MRI results and amid what Leavitt called “fake news” reporting questioning the president’s fitness for office.
“The president’s physician has now given you all three detailed reports on the state of the president’s health,” Leavitt said, criticizing a New York Times story from the weekend. “You all see him almost every single day. He is the most accessible president in history.”
Somali Fraud Allegations
Leavitt also pointed to what she called a “bombshell report” from the New York Times detailing alleged fraud by Somali immigrants in Minnesota.
“Eighty-six people have been charged in a rampant and widespread fraud scheme spanning multiple programs in Minnesota. Of those 86, 78 of those people are Somali — 91 percent of them charged so far,” Leavitt said. “Fifty-nine of those people have been convicted for their roles in fraud plots that have stolen $1 billion from taxpayers.”
She described one scheme in which a nonprofit claimed to have fed tens of thousands of children during the pandemic but allegedly never delivered the meals, with leaders spending the money “on houses, luxury cars, and real estate in Turkey and Kenya.”
Week Ahead
Leavitt outlined a busy week for the president, including hosting a cabinet meeting Tuesday, announcing a new “Trump accounts” savings initiative for young Americans, and on Thursday hosting the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo “to sign the historic peace and economic agreement that he brokered.”
The president and first lady will participate in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree Thursday night, and Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center on Friday.
“The standard for journalism unfortunately has dropped to such a historic low in this country,” Leavitt said. “You can have an anonymous source who has no idea what they’re talking about — zero credibility — call up a reporter in Washington and say, ‘Hey, I heard this.’ And then the next thing you know, it’s on the front page of the New York Times. It’s really incomprehensible.”