Dec 17, 2025

Committees and Departments - Oversight, Rules and Administration

When contacting senators and representatives, it's good to contact those on the committee that deals with your current concern.  The House has an Oversight Committee.  The Senate has a Rules and Administration Committee.  The purpose and scope of these two committees is similar but not a perfect match.




You might want to contact these people regarding:

  • The despicable way they set up the main committee webpage to pretty much exclude Democrats on the committee and showcase only their talking points
  • The Epstein Files
  • Special Treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell
  • Signalgate - Hegseth's violated national security protocols
  • Voting Process and Counting
  • Cybersecurity
  • Declassification of Government Secrets - remember trump declassified documents just by thinking about it?  
  • Federal Law Enforcement
  • Government Waste
  • Congressionally Directed Spending

Here are some contacts for these committees -   

SENATE

399 Russell Senate Office
Washington, D.C., 20510
(202) 224-6352

Mitch McConnell, Chairman
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Alex Padilla, Ranking Member
331 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3553


HOUSE

Pardon my French, but this is bullshit...
Once again, the main government link for this committee appears to be the Republican site, NOT THE FULL COMMITTEE PAGE.  It showcases the Republican chairman and the Republican talking points.  On the main website, which most people would assume is the only web page, they bury the link to the Democratic side with a small print one word link, "Minority".  Also of note, on the Democrat's "Minority" web page, it is clearly marked that this is the Democrat's committee page.  On the main Oversight web page, it does not indicate that this is just the Republican's page.    I highly recommend you go to the Oversight Committee main page and look at how that link is presented for yourself because my screenshot does not do it justice.   Also, just look at the links - "Biden Family Investigation", "The Biden Autopen Presidency", "The Biden Influence Peddling Timeline".   How do these people sleep at night?




2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5074 Fax: (202) 225-3974

Rayburn House Office Building
2106 RHOB
Washington , DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-5051

James Comer, Chairman (R)
2410 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3115

Robert Garcia, Ranking Member (D)
109 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-7924


MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators,  and representatives, of course.  There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.

ALSO, check out the TIPS AND RESOURCES page for links to resources that I truly believe you will find helpful.  

Dec 14, 2025

Committees and Departments - Armed Services

When contacting senators and representatives, it's good to contact those on the committee that deals with your current concern.  Both the Senate and the House have Homeland Security committees.  

You might want to contact these people regarding:
  • National Guard deployment
  • Hegseth: he's unqualified and inept
  • Signal-Gate
  • Bombing boats in the Caribbean 
  • Escalation of attacks against Venezuela




Here are some contacts for these committees and departments -   


EXECUTIVE

DOW Public Affairs 
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1400

Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary
(aka Secretary of War)
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

General Dan Caine
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, DC 20318-9999

General Christopher J. Mahoney
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, DC 20318-9999


SENATE

Russell Senate Building, Room 228 
Washington, D.C., 20510
(202) 224-3871

Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman
425 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6253

Senator Jack Reed, Senior Member
728 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4642

Latest Featured Story:


HOUSE


Mike Rogers, Chairman
2469 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3261

Adam Smith, Ranking Member
2264 Rayburn Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-8901


CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEF OF STAFF

General Dan Caine
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, DC 20318-9999

General Christopher J. Mahoney
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, DC 20318-9999


SECRETARIES OF THE ARMED SERVICES

Daniel Driscoll
Secretary of the Army
101 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0101

John Phelan
Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, DC 20350-1000

Troy E. Meink
Secretary of the Air Force
1670 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC 20330-1670


CHIEFS OF STAFF

General Randy A. George
Army Chief of Staff
200 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0200

Admiral Daryl Caudle
Chief of Naval Operations
2000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, DC 20350-2000

General Steven S. Nordhaus
Chief, National Guard Bureau
1636 Defense Pentagon
STE 1E169
Washington, DC 20301-0001

General Kenneth S. Wilsbach
Air Force Chief of Staff
1670 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC 20330-1670

General Eric M. Smith
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
3000 Marine Corps Pentagon
Washington, DC 20350-3000

General B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of Space Operations
2020 U.S. Space Force Pentagon,
STE 4E858
Washington, DC 20330-2000

Committees and Departments - Homeland Security

When contacting senators and representatives, it's good to contact those on the committee that deals with your current concern.  Both the Senate and the House have Homeland Security committees.  


Here are some contacts for these committees and departments -   


EXECUTIVE

Kristi Noem, Secretary of DHS
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Lane, SW
Mail Stop 0485
Washington, DC 20528-0485

Rodney S. Scott Chief, 
U.S Customs Border Patrol 
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20229 


SENATE

340 Dirksen Senate Office Building 
Washington, DC, 20510

Rand Paul, Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security
295 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C., 20510

Phone: 202-224-4343

Gary Peters, Ranking Member
Hart Senate Office Building

Suite 724

Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6221


Subcommittee:
Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs

James Lankford, Chairman
731 Hart Senate 
Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-5754

John Fetterman, Ranking Member

142 Russell Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Phone: (202) 224-4254


HOUSE

Andrew Garbarino Chairman
2344 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-7896

Bennie Thompson Ranking Member
2466 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-5876


Subcommittee:
Border Security and Enforcement

Michael Guest, Chairman

450 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-5031

Lou Correa, Ranking Member

2082 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2965


Interesting Observation About the House Homeland Security Website - 

There is a main site for the House Committee on Homeland Security.  HOWEVER, it appears to be mostly for the Republican point of view.  


The Chairman is clearly marked on the main page and the members page on this site.  

The Senate has one address for their Homeland Security committee - not a Republican one and a Democrat one.  When I first was looking for the main address for the House committee, it took me a minute to see that the address given on the main page was only for the Republicans on this committee.  



An address is given for the Republican arm of this committee.  And then there's a small link for the Democrats on this committee marked as "Minority Website".   On the main site's members page, in the section showing Democrat members, Andrew Garbario is clearly marked as chairman under his photo. Bennie Thompson's Ranking Member title is not shown. I had to go to the minority website to verify who the Ranking Member was and boy, is it clear on that page.  I haven't seen this BS on any other committee in my research... so far.  

For comparison, I highly recommend going to the Senate's Homeland Security page.  They prominently showcase both the chairman and Ranking member at the top of the main page.  Then, in the section for news, they fairly list the 3 latest stories for majority news and minority news... side by side, equal number, equal font.  That's how it should be done.  At least they give the appearance of trying to work together.  

Dec 11, 2025

Tourists May Have to Provide 5 Years of Social Media Activity and More

On Dec 10, CNN posted this story - US plan would require some visitors to provide social media information from last 5 years.  I highly suggest you read the whole thing, but here are some highlights - 
  • Some visitors to the United States may soon have to provide their social media history from the prior five years to enter the country, according to a new Trump administration proposal.
  • The proposal is posted on the Federal Register by US Customs and Border Protection.
  • The requirement would be for travelers using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, as part of a visa waiver program for citizens from 42 countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Israel and Qatar, as well as many other European countries.  ESTA is an online application visitors from these countries use to travel to the US for under 90 days without a visa.
  • The proposed changes to the visa waiver application include making provision of social media history mandatory and adding “high value data elements,” including the person’s phone numbers and email addresses over the prior five years, plus close family members’ names and birth dates, along with their birthplaces, residences and phone numbers over the prior five years.
  • The Department of Homeland Security oversees CBP (Customs and Border Protection).
  • According to guidelines, applicants are asked to set their profiles to public, and lack of an online social media presence could be seen as a negative that may be held against them in the application process.



READ MORE 

Foreign tourists required to disclose 5 years of social media activity in US proposal ~ The Hill.  In March, a French academic was denied entry before being deported back to Europe for posting messages critical of the Trump’s administration’s research policies.  


WHO TO CONTACT

Your opinion only matters if you let someone know!  The more people who speak up, the more meaningful our opinions will be.

---------------------
From the Federal Register page:  Comments are encouraged and must be submitted (no later than February 9, 2026) to be assured of consideration.  Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice must include the OMB Control Number 1651-0111 in the subject line and the agency name. Please submit written comments and/or suggestions in English. Please use the following method to submit comments:   Email: Submit comments to: .

Requests for additional PRA information should be directed to:

Seth Renkema, 
Chief, Economic Impact Analysis Branch, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings
90 K Street NE, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20229-1177
Telephone number 202-325-0056 
or via email:  CBP_PRA@cbp.dhs.gov.
--------------------

DHS (The Department of Homeland Security) oversees CBP (Customs and Border Protection).

Kristi Noem, Secretary of DHS
Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Lane, SW
Mail Stop 0485
Washington, DC 20528-0485

You can see other DHS people on their Leadership page.

--------------------


Rodney S. Scott Chief, U.S Customs Border patrol 
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20229 

--------------------

340 Dirksen Senate Office Building 
Washington, DC, 20510

Chairman is Rand Paul.  
Gary Peters is the Ranking Member (the Dem leader)

--------------------

In my search for Rodney Scott's address, this information came up for contacting the Senate Committee on Finance and it's worth a shot -

The mailing address for submitting statements for the record regarding Rodney S. Scott, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is:

Senate Committee on Finance
Attn. Editorial and Document Section
Rm. SD-219
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators,  and representatives, of course.  There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.

ALSO, check out the TIPS AND RESOURCES page for links to resources that I truly believe you will find helpful.  

Dec 3, 2025

Unlawful Orders Video

In the war crimes boat strike incident, Pete Hegseth is said to have given the initial order to kill everyone.  Admiral Mitch Bradley gave the order to strike the boat again to kill the 2 survivors who were clinging to the burning wreckage, and some military person or persons obeyed those orders for a total of 4 strikes to the boat.  

Anyone who knows law and/or history might remember that the defense of "I was only obeying orders" is not accepted.  Those who violate the law can be held liable, regardless of who told them to do it.  This is now known as the "Nuremberg defense", a legal defense that essentially states that defendants were "only following orders". In the 1968 trial of Lt. William Calley, it was made clear that obedience to orders is no longer a defense to war crimes.   War criminals are to be held to account.

A couple of weeks ago, six Democrat lawmakers put out a short (90 second) video telling soldiers they did not have to obey UNLAWFUL orders.  


Here's the transcript in case you want to read through it carefully -

I'm Senator Alyssa Slackin. 
Senator Mark Kelly, 
Representative Chris Deluzio, 
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, 
Representative Chrissy Hulahan, 
Congressman Jason Crowe. 
I was a captain in the United States Navy, former CIA officer, former Navy, former paratrooper and Army Ranger, former intelligence officer, former Air Force. 

We want to speak directly to members of the military and the intelligence community who take risks each day to keep Americans safe. We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk. 

This administration is pitting our uniform military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens like us. You all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. And right now, the threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. 

Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. 

No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our constitution. We know this is hard and that it's a difficult time to be a public servant. But whether you're serving in the CIA, the Army, our Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical. 

And know that we have your back because now more than ever, the American people need you. We need you to stand up for our laws, our Constitution, and who we are as Americans. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up the ship. 


The video is about telling soldiers to honor and follow the law and their oath to obey the constitution.  Clearly not illegal.  The message is timely and important because people in military are being asked to violate our laws in many instances.  

The BBC posted, "Although they did not detail what orders they had in mind, they are thought to have been referring to the deployment of National Guard troops to US cities and the US Navy raids on alleged drugs traffickers in the Caribbean."  

The trump administration and right wing media jumped on the video immediately and said it was seditious and then began "investigating" and smearing and threatening the lawmakers in the video.  They particularly went after Mark Kelly.  The Pentagon is now investigating him.

Also from BBC - "He [trump]called it "seditious behaviour, punishable by death" and said the Democratic lawmakers should be arrested and tried. He also shared Truth Social posts that echoed those calls, including one recommending that the six should be hanged."

Wow.  All that for telling soldiers to follow the law. 

In all the articles I read, most experts agree that nothing will come of the threats to the lawmakers in the video.  They did nothing unlawful and an actual hearing would likely expose republicans to some dirty deeds.  

When our lawmakers stand up in a big way for what is right, we need to thank them.  When it's clear what they are doing is supported by citizens, it encourages others to step up as well.  

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Before I give the contact info for these lawmakers, here's an update to the previous posts...   For the last few days, I have been reading lots about the Pete Hegseth war crimes topic.  I have looked at a slew of sources.  Most of them only mentioned 2 strikes, but I did see two sources that mentioned 4 strikes in total.  It now appears that may be the tru total.  Heather Cox Richardson reported this in her Dec 2 newsletter:

Shortly after the meeting, PBS NewsHour journalist Nick Schifrin reported that a U.S. official told him “[t]he US military struck the boat on September 2_four_times: twice to kill the 11 people who were on board, and twice more to sink the boat.”

 The meeting referred to was the Dec 2 televised cabinet meeting where all the cabinet members took turns praising trump and trump fell asleep as shown on camera while Marco Rubio was saying trump who could end Russia’s war in Ukraine.  

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December 1, 2025 ~ Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American (Substack - You can also find her newsletters on Facebook and YouTube)

December 2, 2025 ~ Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American (Substack - You can also find her newsletters on Facebook and YouTube)




Senator Alyssa Slackin
291 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-4822

Senator Mark Kelly
Hart Senate Office Building
Suite 516
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2235
 
Representative Chris Deluzio
1222 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-2301
 
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander
223 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5206

Representative Chrissy Hulahan
1727 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4315
 
Congressman Jason Crowe
1323 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-7882


MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators,  and representatives, of course.  There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.

ALSO, check out the TIPS AND RESOURCES page for links to resources that I truly believe you will find helpful.  

Dec 2, 2025

“Underbussing” Mitch Bradley

As mentioned in Part 1 - Pete Hegseth Scrutinized Over War Crimes - The commander overseeing the operation where Hegseth directed everyone must be killed was Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley.  

On October 3, 2025 Bradley was promoted.  He is now the commander of the United States Special Operations Command.  

Adm. Mitch Bradley


Pete Hegseth has been the main one taking the heat on this and other strikes, but attention has also been turned to Bradley for giving the OK on Hegseth's unlawful order.  

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was careful to distance both the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from the order. When asked by a reporter, “Does the administration deny that that second strike happened, or did it happen and the administration denies that Secretary Hegseth gave the order?” she said: “The latter is true.” She attributed the orders of September 2 to Admiral Bradley, appearing to be setting him up for "underbussing".

Underbussing refers to the act of throwing someone under the bus, often used in a context where a person blames or sacrifices another to avoid blame or responsibility. It typically involves subordinates or associates being blamed for a failure or wrongdoing by someone in a higher position.

On Monday, Hegseth pushed Bradley under the bus when he posted: “Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made—on the September 2 mission and all others since.” 

Commentator Brandon Friedman promptly posted: “Hegseth is very transparently blaming a Navy admiral for his own decision. Let this be a lesson for every other military officer: The Trump administration will issue unlawful orders, then blame you for following them.”

“He is selling out Admiral Bradley and sending chills down the spines of his chain of command, who now know their boss will sell them out if he is taking heat. A case study in how not to lead,” posted Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut. 

“How to point the finger at someone while pretending to support him,” posted Fox News Channel’s chief political analyst Brit Hume.

On Sunday trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, “No. 1, I don’t know that that happened.vAnd Pete said he did not want them — he didn’t even know what people were talking about. So, we’ll look at, we’ll look into it.”  He also said the initial strike “was fine,” but that he “wouldn’t have wanted” a second strike.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said Bradley next week is set to brief the Senate Intelligence Committee on the September follow-up strike, which has drawn significant bipartisan scrutiny.


Warner said he and Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are speaking on the issue and that he expects to have a preliminary conversation this week with Bradley, CNN reported.

“We’ve got to get to the bottom of this,” he said, calling on the Trump administration to release an unedited video of the strike to help determine “whether these individuals were in the water, on the boat, still combatants or not.”


The House Armed Services Committee, in a statement by chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R, Ala.) and ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D, Wash.), said their panel is “committed to providing rigorous oversight” of the Defense Department’s 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.”


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December 1, 2025 ~ Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American (Substack - You can also find her newsletters on Facebook and YouTube)




WHO TO CONTACT

Your opinion only matters if you speak up.  "To be silent is to be complicit."

Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) Senate Intelligence Committee Chair 
326 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2353

Rep. Mike Rogers (R, Ala.), House Armed Services Committee Chairman
2469 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3261

Rep. Adam Smith (D, Wash.) House Armed Services Committee ranking member 
2264 Rayburn Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-8901

I was unable to find an address for Admiral Bradley.  

MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators,  and representatives, of course.  There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.

ALSO, check out the TIPS AND RESOURCES page for links to resources that I truly believe you will find helpful.  

Hegseth Posts a Franklin the Turtle Meme

On Sunday, Hegseth posted an AI-faked cover of a children’s book featuring Franklin the Turtle with the title “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”  Above the image, the post read: “For your Christmas wish list…”  He posted this as the scandal with Hegseth at the head heated up.



As described in this post, Hegseth's order to "kill them all" resulted in a boat in the Caribbean with 11 people on board being blown up and then a follow up strike killed 2 survivors who were hanging on to the wreckage.  This so-called "double tap" has been widely condemned as unlawful and a war crime.

Defense Secretary Hegseth appeared to make fun of those concerns by posting a meme. 

A day later, Toronto-based Kids Can Press, The Canadian publishing house behind the "Franklin" children's books,  said in a statement posted to social media: "Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image, which directly contradicts these values."

More Reactions

“The creator of the Franklin the Turtle children's books is Canadian author (and Carleton University Journalism graduate) Paulette Bourgeois. She may wish to rev up her copyright infringement lawyers just for starters.” - Christopher Dornan, Carleton University Journalism professor

Former Rep. Adam Kinszinger (R-IL) told Hegseth, “You’re a sick man,” and later reposted the Hegseth tweet and added, “His trial is gonna be lit.” 

Military veteran and Democratic congressional candidate Fred Wellman contributed, “You are so pathetic. The troops think you’re a clown try-hard loser. You’re a joke to everyone.

"He is in the national command authority for nuclear weapons, and last night he's putting out, on the internet, turtles with rocket-propelled grenades. I mean, have you seen this? This is the secretary of defense. This is not a serious person."- Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona

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December 1, 2025 ~ Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American (Substack - You can also find her newsletters on Facebook and YouTube)


WHO TO CONTACT

Your opinion only matters if you speak up.  "To be silent is to be complicit."

Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary
(aka Secretary of War)
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Paulette Bourgeois
author
Transatlantic Agency
68 Claremont Street
Suite 100
Toronto, ON M6J 2M5
Canada

Kids Can Press
25 Dockside Dr, 
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 0B5, Canada


MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators,  and representatives, of course.  There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.

ALSO, check out the TIPS AND RESOURCES page for links to resources that I truly believe you will find helpful.  

Pete Hegseth Scrutinized Over War Crimes

It seems that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in hot water for allegedly committing war crimes.  It's reported that on September 2nd he ordered an additional attack (a "double-tap") to kill survivors of a boat strike.  The Washington Post was the first to report on it.  

Former Fox New host, Pete Hegseth

Apparently, a surveillance aircraft followed the boat, and intelligence analysts watching from command centers concluded there were 11 people on board and they were carrying drugs.  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive to kill them all.

A missile was launched off the Trinidad coast and it struck the boat.  Commanders watched the boat burning on a live drone feed. As the smoke cleared, they realized there were two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck.

The commander overseeing the operation from Fort Bragg in North Carolina was Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley,  ordered a second strike.  He ordered the second strike to fulfill Hegseth’s directive that everyone must be killed.  The two men were blown apart in the water.   Note:  There will be a separate post on Bradley.

Experts are saying that the so-called traffickers posed no threat of attack to the United States.  We are not in an armed conflict or war, and that makes these acts murder.  Also, even if we were at war, an order to kill survivors who are no longer able to fight, would be an order to show no quarter and that's a clear war crime.

Since that first attack, the Pentagon has hit at least 22 more boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. The Pentagon's campaign has killed more than 80 people so far.  The trump administration claims their attacks in recent months are on boats allegedly carrying drugs in international waters.  

A decision to fire Pete Hegseth would be up to the President and the Department of Defense. 

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island, senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,) issued a statement saying that they intend to conduct oversight not just of the September 2 strike but of the entire operation.  They need to hear from “we the people” on this to make sure they follow through.

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December 1, 2025 ~ Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American (Substack - You can also find her newsletters on Facebook and YouTube)


WHO TO CONTACT

Your opinion only matters if you speak up.  When many of us speak up, people take notice.  "To be silent is to be complicit."


Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi)
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
425 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6253

Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island)
Senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4642



Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary
(aka Secretary of War)
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

See contact information for others from the Department of War here.


MORE CONTACTS

If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators,  and representatives, of course.  There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.

ALSO, check out the TIPS AND RESOURCES page for links to resources that I truly believe you will find helpful.  
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