Pete Hegseth says he ‘didn’t stick around’ to watch second strike on alleged drug boat as Democrats slam administration over attacks – live

<p>Defense secretary says he ‘moved on to my next meeting’ as sensitive military operation was under way; top Democrat calls Hegseth ‘spineless’ and ‘a national embarrassment’</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/02/us-admiral-to-brief-lawmakers-as-bipartisan-scrutiny-grows-over-boat-strike">White House ‘selling out’ admiral to shield Hegseth over strikes, officials say</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/02/trump-threatens-strikes-drugs-venezuela">Trump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US</a></p></li></ul><p><em>Joseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in Washington</em></p><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi">FBI</a> director, <strong>Kash Patel</strong>, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/dec/02/donald-trump-pete-hegseth-boat-venezuela-maduro-tennessee-us-politics-live-news-updates">Continue reading...</a>