When asked about two survivors who were allegedly killed after a second strike was authorized on a boat suspected of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea in September, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dodged the question, deferring to the Department of Defense.
“I think you guys are sort of not listening fully to the statement I provided. Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was totally destroyed and the threat to the narco-terrorists to the United States was eliminated,” Leavitt said in response to the question from ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott about the administration’s inability to confirm or deny whether there were any survivors.
“For any questions about his thinking, I would defer you to the Department of War,” Leavitt said.
One person familiar with details of the Sept. 2 incident confirmed to ABC News that there were survivors from an initial strike on the boat and that those survivors were killed in subsequent strikes.
Asked if there were a “change in policy” regarding survivors of these attacks, Leavitt said, “Not to my knowledge, no.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Dec. 1, 2025.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP