By Kevin Freking, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s resignation, joining a chorus of congressional representatives who have rebuked his reported order that killed survivors of a military strike.

“If the reports are true, Pete Hegseth likely committed a war crime when he gave an illegal order that led to the killing of incapacitated survivors of the U.S. strike in the Caribbean,” Rosen, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who opposed Hegseth’s nomination, wrote in a Monday press release. “He should resign immediately.”

In a statement shared with The Nevada Independent, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) agreed.

“I called for Secretary Hegseth to resign in April after he shared classified information over Signal,” Cortez Masto wrote, referring to her comment lambasting his “carelessness” this spring. “He should never have been confirmed in the first place, and the deeply concerning reports that he ignored the law are just the latest proof he is not qualified to lead our armed forces.” 

So did Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV).

“If the reporting is correct, Secretary Hegseth’s order amounts to a war crime,” she wrote. “This is just the latest example of his abusing the power of his office to do what Donald Trump wants him to do. Secretary Hegseth should be dismissed as Secretary of Defense and held accountable.”

Numerous other senators, including Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ed Markey (D-MA), have previously suggested Hegseth’s reported actions were illegal. 

Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack. 

According to The Washington Post, two survivors clung to the burning boat after the initial attack, and a Special Operations commander ordered another strike to comply with Hegseth, killing the pair. The administration is facing criticism for allegedly refusing to spare those who could not defend themselves, also known as giving “no quarter,” which the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines as a war crime. 

The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns.

“This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” Kaine said.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no longer able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations.

“Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Turner said.

The administration has alleged that the vessel was a drug boat originating from Venezuela.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Sunday evening while flying back to Washington from Florida, where he celebrated Thanksgiving, confirmed that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The U.S. administration says the strikes in the Caribbean are aimed at cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Maduro. Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.

Trump declined to comment on details of the call, which was first reported by The New York Times.

“I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked about the call.

The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the call with Trump.

Turner said there are concerns in Congress about the attacks on vessels that the Trump administration says are transporting drugs, but the allegation regarding the Sept. 2 attack “is completely outside anything that has been discussed with Congress and there is an ongoing investigation.”

The comments from lawmakers during news show appearances come as the administration escalates a campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. On Saturday, Trump said the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered as “closed in its entirety,” an assertion that raised more questions about the U.S. pressure on Maduro. Maduro’s government accused Trump of making a “colonial threat” and seeking to undermine the South American country’s sovereignty.

After the Post’s report, Hegseth said Friday on X that “fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”

“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,” Hegseth wrote.

Trump said on Sunday the administration “will look into” the matter but added, “I wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike.” The president also defended Hegseth.

“Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. He added, “And I believe him.”

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and its top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed (RI), said in a joint statement late Friday that the committee “will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

That was followed Saturday with the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), and the ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), issuing a joint statement saying the panel was committed to “providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”

“We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question,” Rogers and Smith said, referring to U.S. Southern Command.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), asked about the Sept. 2 attack, said Hegseth deserves a chance to present his side.

“We should get to the truth. I don’t think he would 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,” Bacon said. “So, I’m very suspicious that he would’ve done something like that because it would go against common sense.”