RedState Exclusive
December 5, 2025
Washington, D.C.
As Democrats escalate their attacks following Capitol Hill briefings by U.S. Special Operations Command commander Admiral Frank M. Bradley, prominent military defense attorney and former Trump Navy lawyer Tim Parlatore told RedState that politicians are deliberately mischaracterizing lawful combat actions.
In an exclusive interview, Parlatore laid out the legal distinction at the heart of the controversy:
“You have a boat full of cocaine and terrorists heading to this country to poison and kill Americans. That’s a legitimate target,” Parlatore said.
“You then do battle damage assessment. The boat and the cargo remain legitimate military targets that SOUTHCOM has been ordered to put on the bottom of the ocean.”
Parlatore referred to the death of drug traffickers resulting from the second strike as “collateral damage.”
These comments stand in sharp contrast to statements made on Wednesday by top Democrats immediately after viewing classified drone footage.
Democrat Rep. Jim Himes (CT-4) described the video as “one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”
Democrat Rep. Adam Smith (WA-9) accused U.S. forces of firing on “two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat,” declaring Admiral Bradley bears “ultimate responsibility” for a possible war crime.
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) said he was “deeply disturbed” and demanded the immediate release of the unedited footage.
Undeterred by such criticism, SOUTHCOM announced a successful lethal kinetic strike yesterday, December 4, confirming the destruction of a narco-trafficking vessel carrying illicit narcotics and killing four male narco-terrorists in international waters.
Despite the clear mission success in disrupting cartel routes, Democrats appear poised to attack every aspect of the operation.
Admiral Bradley personally appeared on Capitol Hill to defend Operation Southern Spear, which has seized or destroyed hundreds of tons of narcotics since September.
The left-wing attacks are built on a now-debunked Washington Post story alleging Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued an illegal “kill them all” order.
**READ MORE:** [WaPo’s Botched Hegseth Hit Job Proves the Pentagon Desperately Needs New Media](#)
Admiral Bradley’s testimony delivers a devastating blow to the Democratic narrative surrounding the drug boat story. The four-star commander and Bronze Star with Valor recipient now faces intensifying partisan scrutiny that military legal experts like Parlatore argue isn’t grounded in the law of armed conflict at sea.
In conversation with RedState, Parlatore drew a direct historical parallel to emphasize his point, citing one of the most celebrated moments in U.S. Navy history:
“Take the Battle of Midway. One of the Japanese carriers we blew up was burning, dead in the water, no longer able to fight or launch aircraft, and it was full of wounded Japanese sailors. You know what we did? We kept throwing torpedoes into it until it went to the bottom of the ocean. And that was lawful. The goal was to put the ship down so it couldn’t be towed back, repaired, and put back into the fight. The goal was not to kill all the wounded Japanese sailors on board.”
Parlatore argued that this example shows sinking a disabled enemy vessel—even one carrying wounded personnel—has been standard naval practice for generations and remains fully consistent with the law of armed conflict at sea.
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https://redstate.com/rc-maxwell/2025/12/05/exclusive-dow-legal-advisor-boat-with-cocaine-terrorists-heading-to-poison-americans-is-legit-target-n2196866