Judging Freedom - Scott Ritter : Did Hegseth Order Murders?

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

Scott Ritter : Did Hegseth Order Murders?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thank you. Thank you. Hi, everyone, Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Monday, December 1st, 2025. Scott Ritter will be with us in just a moment. Did Pete Hegseth order murders? But first this. History tells us every market eventually falls. Currencies collapse.

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information. There's no pressure. And that's why I buy my gold and silver from Lear. And right now, you can get up to $20,000 in bonus medals with a qualified purchase. Call 800,511, 4620 or go to Learjudgeonap.com today. Scott, welcome here, my dear friend. Before we get to the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of War, as he prefers to refer to himself and the orders to kill people on these boats in the Caribbean and elsewhere, I've got to tell you that Larry Johnson, our mutual friend, did a great research piece over the weekend on the retired American generals still insisting that Ukraine can win this war or fight to a draw, and it's totally under my skin. Not Larry's work, I'm glad he did it.

We went back, we looked at what they said. Why are some of these people, Jack Keene, David Petraeus, Ben Hodges, why are these retired four stars still uttering defiance of reality? It's not because of their military expertise, Because if they actually drew upon their military expertise, they'd understand, you know, the military reality, which is the Ukrainian army is, has been defeated. I mean, we're looking at literally the collapse as we speak. This is that culminating moment that we've been talking about for some time. It has been reached.

You know, there is no coming back from this. Every day it gets worse for the Ukrainians. They lose more people. The Russians gain more advantages. So you have to say, well, if they're not drawing upon their military expertise, what is it? And the answer is simple, and I apologize, but they're whores. They've sold their souls to their respective media outlets. These are people who make money on a contract basis.

You know how it works, Judge. You know how Fox News would bring in these talking heads. I was one of them. You know, I was recruited by Fox News to be a talking head. They didn't like what I had to say, so they kept the contract but wouldn't allow me on air. That was a way to silence me. Same thing happened to Larry Johnson. and the exact same thing.

Yeah. I mean, it's just, it's the game that's played. But, you know, these guys are smart enough to know that as long as they say what their respective media outlets want them to say, they'll get paid. And they're probably going to get paid quite well. And this is it. There is no logical, ethical, moral, or professional reason for them to be saying what they're saying. This is because they have literally sold their souls to the corporate media devil. And they're just simply saying that which their media masters tell them.

How bad off is the Ukrainian military as we speak? There's no reserves left. Their best brigades are being devastated, surrounded in Prokosh, Kupyansk, and elsewhere, slaughtered, not being allowed to retreat. I mean, they're in their death throes as we speak, all up and down the lines. You see Ukrainian forces, you know, in Zaporosia, the Russians have a major breakthrough because one of the Ukrainian brigades just collapsed and quit. And the Russians were able to exploit that and outflank a very key, important, fortified defensive position in a city that I can't pronounce.

I'm sorry, I wish I could. But it, holiopole or something of that nature. But we're seeing this everywhere. There are no reserves left. What they have are untrained and not just untrained, but unprepared. For instance, the units that are being brought in right now, the tanks, the armored vehicles, et cetera, don't have any counter drone capability put on that. They don't have any electronic warfare capability. They don't have the screens, the netting, the spikes, anything that could be used to prematurely detonate these FPV drones.

And there are no defensive positions for them to go to. So they are being brought in and told to counterattack immediately. That's the only tool the Ukrainians have left. Bring them in, counterattack the Russians in an effort to disrupt Russian offensive operations. But Russian drone dominance extends 20 kilometers into the Ukrainian rear. So as these formations approach, they're just being slaughtered, devastated by Russian drones, killing everybody. And that's just the reality of it. There's not a single place on the line where the Ukrainians are prevailing.

All up and down the line, the Ukrainians are being outflanked, surrounded, slaughtered. And that's just it. There's nobody to replace them. There's no manpower left. And, you know, it's all she wrote. Is it likely that the CIA is aware of what you've said and has accurately informed the president and he knows it? Or is being influenced by Sebastian Gork,

the soon-to-be-departed General Kellogg, and the hopelessly cited. blind Marco Rubio. No, I think the day of Kellogg is over. You know, he had his moment. After Alaska, after the Alaskan summit, he made one last surge to whisper sweet nothing's in Trump's ear. You know, Trump doubled down with how the Russians are losing all these people.

They can't do it. And the Russians set him and Marco Rubio straight. You know, we still don't know the details of the phone call between Lavrov and Rubio, but Rubio tried to play the Kellogg hand. We know things are bad for you. You have no choice. The Russia said, pound sand. We're slaughtering them.

You know this. You know the reality. And as a result, you know why we're not going to yield. There's no reason for us to yield on any of our points. And Rubio was set straight. And today what we see is Kellogg's out. These people don't count. Trump knows.

This is why he tells Zelensky, you know, accept the deal because you're going to lose everything. Imagine that. The President of the United States telling the President of Ukraine, you're going to lose everything because he now knows the truth. The truth is, Russia is dominating the battlefield. There's nothing Ukraine could do. And there's nothing the United States or Europe could do to change this outcome. Donald Trump knows this.

So he knows he's in a race against the clock that the longer Ukraine drags its feet, the more likely is Russia is going to obtain everything at once through force of arms, which is what Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to do. Why would the Kremlin negotiate when they're on the cusp of achieving all their military goals? Because war is an extension of politics by other means. Military goals aren't the end objective here. The end objective is a European security framework that brings stability to Europe. Understand that if Russia wins, dominates on the battlefield, that might make certain people very happy.

I know Gilbert Doctro would be happy, the decapitation scenario. The reason why Putin doesn't do it is that Putin's smarter than Gilbert, Dr. He's smarter than all the people that are looking for a decisive Russian military victory. Russia's goal here, understand, people need to understand this. Right now, the West does not recognize Russia's claims over Crimea or the four new territories of Novoia-Rosia, Kersons, Zaporosia, Donets, and Lugansk. And economic sanctions have been linked to Russia's continued occupation of these territories. What Russia wants and what Trump is apparently offering is recognition by the United States and Europe and Ukraine of the

legal control of these territories by Russia in perpetuity. They are, in fact, a lawful part of the Russian Federation. Correct. And all the sanctions that are attached right now, lifted. That's a strategic victory for Russia, you see. That's a long-term objective. Russia can win the war, take Odessa, take Kharkov. But as long as the sanctions are in our place, there's no recognition, Russia is going

to lose hundreds of billions of dollars a year in lost economic opportunity. If Russia does this right and gets the recognition of these territories, sanctions lifted. Russia is talking about accruing trillions of dollars worth of benefit over the course of the next decade. This is the strategic thinking of Vladimir Putin. This is why he's smarter and just about everybody else out there. Okay. Here is an example of neocon thinking in Congress. This will turn your stomach a little, but I need you to comment on it.

I can imagine what your comments will be. This is Congressman Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, Chris, cut number one. One thing that I think everybody understands is that you can't have, you can't be America first and pro Russia. Because, you know, Russia has as a self-declared adversary of the United States, it's fielding, you know, new advanced nuclear weapons that are specifically targeting the United States. It's constantly attacking the United States with offensive cyber. It continuously identifies both NATO and the West, the United States, as its adversary. So in this, and of course, when it identifies Ukraine as its adversary, it does so in identifying the West and the United States as its adversary. You have to understand that the balance of this peace arrangement has to be one where you have to look at Russia as a skeptical adversary.

This is the attitude that must pervade much of the Congress, Scott. It is. It's Russophobic and grounded in ignorance. I mean, you know, Russia has not declared itself to be the adversary. These new nuclear weapons and he's talking about, go back and look at Vladimir Putin. Again, 2016, Vladimir Putin addresses Western journalists and says, you know, the United States withdrew from the ABM treaty. And now you're putting missile defenses. and we have to do something about that.

We can't be in a situation where you build a defense that nullifies our strategic deterrent because then we have no strategic deterrent. If you continue to do, something will happen. Nothing. 2018, he gives up a presentation where he says, these are the new weapons. I am compelled to build because you withdrew from the ABM treaty.

There are consequences for your actions. And now today, they are starting to field these weapons. Russia didn't come out and say, hey, we're going to poke you in the eye. Russia said, you withdrew from a treaty, a foundational arms-controlled treaty, the anti-ballistic missile treaty, and there are consequences for your actions. Turner's an idiot. He should know this.

He does know this, but he's Russophobic and blind to it. We can go across everything. The expansion of NATO. It's not that Russia expanded to NATO's frontiers. NATO expanded to Russia's frontiers under the premise that Russia is an enemy. I mean, cause and effect, Newton's third law of physics applies to geopolitics. as well. For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. And right now, you know, the West created this war in Ukraine. It's the CIA that made Ukraine a tool against Russia that's been

seeking to do so ever since the end of the Second World War, repeated CIA operations. Turner knows this, but he chooses to be ignorant, along with the rest of Congress. It's Russophobia. Russophobia is the irrational fear of Russia, born of the ignorance of the Russian reality. This is why you, me, Larry, and everybody else goes to Russia to capture the Russian reality, bring it back to the American people so they can see through this nonsense. Hopefully Turner's days are numbered. Who withdrew us from the ABM treaty? George W. Bush.

Wow. And Donald Trump withdrew us from the INF Treaty, the other foundational arms. And look at what happened. Putin said, you know, hey, the reason why we have a Reschnik is because you withdrew from the INF Treaty. If you had stayed in the INF Treaty, we wouldn't have a rationing today, but there are consequences for your actions. Well, earlier today, Secretary of Defense Hegeseth tweeted that he denied having authorized or ordered the killing of two survivors who were clinging to the remnants of their boat. These two guys were in one of the speedboats that the United States military had

attacked. He did this because the Washington Post had reported it had seven, seven sources that said HECSeth issued the verbal order to kill these two. Hegsett denied it. About an hour and a half ago, excuse me, last night the president denied it. About an hour and a half ago, the White House Press Secretary admitted that Hegseff did issue that order. Was the issue of the order, an illegal order, and did compliance with the order, constitute a war crime? 100% illegal order. Look, this is one of the clearest, there's no debate here. There's no, literally, there's no gray zone.

As a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps at the basic school, we are taught the law. of war. And one of the videos they showed my class was a video of American submariners who had sunk Japanese merchant shipping. And then the submarine came around and the sailors were on the ship shooting the Japanese in the water, just slaughtering them. This was common practice in the Second World War. And because of this, the world was sickened by it. There were other things where Germans did similar things to our sailors in the water. In fact, as many German submariners were arrested, tried, and executed for that crime. So in 1949, I believe the Geneva Conventions made it illegal to,

when a ship is sunk and people are in the water, they are automatically, by law, rendered what is called Ord du Cambé. That's a French term. Marine Corps, we say, Hoare is de combat, because we don't know how to speak French. But it means you're out of the fight. You are literally out of the fight, and you are required to rescue them.

They are out of the fight. You are required to rescue them, not kill them. And if you seek to kill them, you are in violation, a grave breach of the Geneva Convention, not just in 1949, Geneva Convention, but the 1977 additional protocols. In 1996, the United States Congress passed a law, the War Crimes Act, I believe it's called, that basically says, if you do this, if you violate the Geneva Convention, a grave breach, you shall be arrested, tried, and if found guilty, sent a to life imprisonment or executed. Pete Higsef is a war criminal. There is no if and or but there is no pardoning. There is nothing. Is it war criminal, but not just him. This is where Mark Kelly and the seditious six come in. They put a reminder out there to every military officer.

You are obligated not to obey. This is basic. In the Marine Corps, we were told if the enemy raises their hand, you don't shoot them. You don't shoot them. If they're wounded, you three. them. This is basically, and if somebody comes in and says, kill them, the answer is no, because it's illegal. This is pounded into our head. And yet somehow the military forgot because Admiral Bradley, the head of the SEAL team that was operating there, the Naval Task, Special Forces Task

Group, he took Heggsett's verbal order and ordered SEAL Team 6 to kill these people who were, again, out of the fight or de combe they did so so it's not just hegset bradley shall be shot until you know executed this is the admiral to whom hegs had made his verbal order pardon this is the admiral to whom heggseth must have given his verbal order i'm correct bradley's only response bradley could have said is no sir that's a nil unlawful order i'm ordering my uh my seal team in under you know in accordance with the ucmj and the law of war, we're going to go in and rescue these people. They are out of the fight. We are now going to

rescue them. And if you choose to prosecute them afterwards, that's your business. But no Secretary War, heck Seth, I will not obey that order. That's an unlawful order. End of story. And if Bradley gave that order, the seal team commanders said, uh-uh, ain't happening, sir, you can't order me to execute people who are legally out of the fight. It's against the Geneva Convention. It's against U.S. law. I will not do this. This is why Senator Mark Kelly said, everybody, refamiliarize yourself with the law. You cannot obey an unlawful order. Hexeth gave an unlawful order. He's a war criminal. Bradley repeated this, and he is a war criminal. And everybody who followed those orders, they are war criminals. I'm sorry, there's no exception to the rule.

We're running a poll during this portion of your segment. Should President Trump fire Pete Hegseth for his denial that he ordered the second strike. Yes, no, yes, but he won't. We'll let you know what the vote is. Why do these people like the killing? Why is Hegiseth doing this? Because he has no moral compass. This is a man who thinks that you're strong if you're if you're to be strong you have to look tough and be tough sometimes i mean look that's why we do physical training in the marine corps you know you got to be tough to back it up but the real strength comes from your moral the moral integrity um the ability to know the difference between right and wrong and see head set's job isn't and this is the point that i tried to make

his job isn't to go out and do pt with the troops man you are not a company commander of battalion XO. Okay, you're the Secretary of Defense. He's not the Secretary of War. Understand that that there's no legal, that's not a legal term. Congress didn't approve of that. Congress still passes, you know, things for the Department of Defense. But, see, Hegset did war because he wants to sound tough, look tough, and he postures as being tough. And he has made a decision here, the killing people in boats that he has designated as being affiliated with drug trafficking, that this somehow makes us tough. No, it makes you a murder. to repeat. You know, the strongest man in war is the man that can pull the trigger every time.

The strongest man in war is the man who knows when not to pull the trigger. And Peekhead Seth doesn't know when not to pull the trigger. And he's crossed the line. Trump shouldn't fire him. Trump has a duty and responsibility to arrest him and try him for the highest crimes imaginable. Here's President Trump on Pete's denial. Chris, cut number six. And Pete said he did not want them. He didn't even know what people were talking about. So we'll look into it. But no, I wouldn't have wanted that.

Not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine. And if there were two people around, but Pete said that didn't happen. The first strike was a crime also. These people are on a speedboat, 1,500 miles from the United States. They're non-combatants. They're civilians by definition.

Yeah, no, there's no if-hands or buts about. there. There are people out there who will make the case that they're unlawful combatants. But again, the term unlawful combatant can only be applied through due process. You can't go out and arbitrarily paint people with this. You need to detain them. It's the same thing in war. If I capture, for instance, look at what happened during the Battle of the Bulge when Americans captured German special forces who were in American uniforms. you know, when they, when they realized that they were Germans and American uniforms, they didn't execute them on the spot. That would be a war crime. They arrested them, brought them in,

and there was a summary trial where they were found guilty of, you know, committing, you know, violations of war, and they were shot as spies. But there's due process. You don't get to be judge, jury, and executioner all at once. If there's a boat out there and there's no visible guns and you think you know it's on board, you have a duty to stop that boat, seize that boat, arrest the people, and subject them to due process. And if at the end of that time you determine they are unlawful combatants, then you can send them to Guantanamo Bay, as we did with all the other unlawful combatants that we captured during the global war on terror. But to arbitrarily kill them is a violation of international law. It's a violation of the Geneva Convention. Well, we'll see where this goes.

The admission by Carolyn Leavitt was rather startling. We haven't heard from the president since she made the admission. I'm deeply grateful for the clarity with which you explained this. But knowing their mentalities, you know, I worked with Pete for seven or eight years at Fox, nothing's going to change unless there's some legal process to restrain him. He should be arrested and prosecuted. There's no question about it. as should Admiral Bradley, as should the SEAL Team 6 that actually pulled the trigger.

What does pulling the trigger mean? Is that the missile or a drone? I don't know the weapon system they used, whether it's a drone, whether it was a helicopter. I think it might be a drone operating under the, you know, under SEAL Team 6 control. But the bottom line is whoever released that munition is a war criminal. That's a clear, there's literally no justification. under any possible interpretation of the law that would allow them to kill those. People are out of the fight legally, and they're protected by the Geneva Conventions.

They're protected by U.S. law, and the people responsible for double-tapping them are criminals, war criminals, 100%. Scottie, thank you very much, my dear friend. Much appreciated. We'll look forward to seeing you next week. All the best. Okay. Thanks. Coming up tomorrow, Tuesday, at 8 in the morning, Ambassador Chaz,

Freeman at 11 in the morning from London, Ian Proud. At one in the afternoon, Colonel Karen Kutkowski, at three in the afternoon, Professor Jeffrey Sachs. Judge Napolitano for judging freedom. Thank you.