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Colbert Claims Admiral's Defense Of Second Boat Strike Was Dumb
Earlier in the week, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show got onboard with the liberal narrative that a second strike on a drug boat back in September was a war crime, but after Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to defend himself, they noticeably avoided the subject on their shows that night. CBS’s Stephen Colbert, on the other hand, doubled down on The Late Show and called Bradley’s defenses “dumber” than the previous ones.
Colbert quipped, “Back in September, they seemed to have gotten a little loosey goosey with international law when they launched a second strike to kill any survivors of a first strike that they had made… Reportedly, the admiral defended his actions, arguing the two survivors were attempting to continue their drug run because they were seen still aboard the damaged vessel alongside packages of illegal narcotics.”
Continuing with his sarcastic criticisms, Colbert mused, “Yeah, but the boat was blown to bits. How were they going to continue their drug run? Ride to Miami on the backs of dolphin drug mules?”
For Colbert, Bradley’s reasoning only got worse, “But wait, there's dumber. The military is also claiming that the survivors were still a threat because they took a hostile action, which in this case was radioing for help after their boat was hit. You blew them up for touching their radio? Who are they, your dad on a road trip?”
Later in the show, Colbert welcomed MS NOW’s Jen Psaki and wondered, “You worked for two commanders-in-chief and I'm just curious…When you hear about a changing story about why there was a second strike, or actually it was a third strike, actually no, it was a fourth strike and Donald Trump says ‘I don't know what any of that was about.’ Do you—have you ever seen another commander-in-chief so out of the loop when it comes specifically to acts of war against another nation against whom we have not declared war.”
With no sense of self-awareness, Psaki retorted, “I mean, I’ve never seen another president out of the loop, period, so much, but national security issues, it’s true. I hate to say that. It’s sad that that is true. He’s also very sleepy, so he's napping sometimes, but national security issues.”
Despite Bradley’s perfectly reasonable explanations, Psaki still insisted there was something illegal about the strikes, “I worked for two presidents. It's not that they were up to speed on what was happening. They demanded to know what was happening. I would be sitting in the Oval Office with President Obama or with President Biden, and there might be any range of military actions, not illegal ones happening where people are being killed that are war crimes, not those.
The target was the drugs, and if drugs were still salvageable because the boat carrying them was still afloat, then it was a legitimate target. It really is that simple. If the crew decided to climb back onboard to save their contraband, then they played a stupid game and won a stupid prize.
Here is a transcript for the December 4 show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
12/5/2025
11:42 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: Back in September, they seemed to have gotten a little loosey goosey with international law when they launched a second strike to kill any survivors of a first strike that they had made. Hegseth is frantically pointing the finger at the Navy admiral, who is overseeing the operation: Frank "Mitch" Bradley. Today, Mitch testified and to be frank, things went Bradley.
Reportedly, the admiral defended his actions, arguing the two survivors were attempting to continue their drug run because they were seen still aboard the damaged vessel alongside packages of illegal narcotics.
Yeah, but the boat was blown to bits. How were they going to continue their drug run? Ride to Miami on the backs of dolphin drug mules? Wait, what's that, flipper? [Dolphin chirping] You want to start a band? Flipper, are you high? [Dolphin chirping] I knew it. I knew it. That's why they call it a blowhole.
But wait, there's dumber. The military is also claiming that the survivors were still a threat because they took a hostile action, which in this case was radioing for help after their boat was hit. You blew them up for touching their radio? Who are they, your dad on a road trip? “All right, come on kids. Hands off! It's the Bruce Springsteen Sirius channel until we hit international waters! Then it's all Steely Dan.
…
COLBERT: You worked for two commanders-in-chief and I'm just curious. When you look at the various ways that these strikes on these boats, these alleged drug boats. That when these strikes have been originally reported and ordered, there have been ten of them now. I think 88 people have been killed in all. Something in that area and when you hear about a changing story about why there was a second strike, or actually it was a third strike, actually no, it was a fourth strike and Donald Trump says “I don't know what any of that was about.”
Do you—have you ever seen another commander-in-chief so out of the loop when it comes specifically to acts of war against another nation against whom we have not declared war.
JEN PSAKI: I mean, I’ve never seen another president out of the loop, period, so much, but national security issues, it’s true. I hate to say that. It’s sad that that is true. He’s also very sleepy, so he's napping sometimes, but national security issues.
I worked for two presidents. It's not that they were up to speed on what was happening. They demanded to know what was happening. I would be sitting in the Oval Office with President Obama or with President Biden, and there might be any range of military actions, not illegal ones happening where people are being killed that are war crimes, not those.
But any type of military action and you might be in the middle of a meeting about something else and they would say “I need a update from the Secretary of Defense, I need a update from the national security advisor” because they fell to the most serious thing and decision I came to their test was decisions about life and death and putting our men and women in uniform in harm's way and that's what I always experienced.
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