Dead Divers, a Blown-Up Boat, and Lies at the Oval Office
Ben Cable (Originally Posted Sep 08, 2025)
A covert team of Navy SEALs slipped into North Korea in early 2019 on a mission straight out of a spy thriller: plant a device to eavesdrop on Kim Jong Un’s inner circle. Instead, SEAL Team 6’s Red Squadron — the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden — gunned down unarmed shellfish divers, their bodies left punctured and sinking as the operation unraveled. The top-secret raid, reportedly green-lit by President Trump himself, was supposed to tip the scales during tense nuclear talks. Instead, according to interviews with two dozen former officials and military insiders cited by the New York Times, it delivered only blood, shame, and one of the most explosive cover-ups of his first term.
President Trump wants you to believe it’s all nothing. At Friday’s press conference, he smirked and shrugged: “I don’t know anything about it. I’d have to, I could look, but I know nothing about it,” But blood doesn’t wash away that easily. Behind closed doors, the Pentagon is scrambling to explain how an elite Navy SEAL mission went rogue, killing civilians off North Korea’s coast.
The Raid That Never Was — Until It Was
According to The Guardian’s defense desk and leaked Pentagon planning documents published by NBC News, SEAL Team 6’s notorious Red Squadron slipped from the belly of a nuclear submarine in mini-subs, tasked with planting a listening device on North Korean soil. It was meant to be a clean op. Instead, it became a killing ground.
Lies Piled on Lies
The President’s denial doesn’t square with the evidence. Navy logs reviewed by The Washington Post show submarine deployment that night. Defense insiders say operations of this scale always carry Oval Office authorization. “Red Squadron doesn’t freelance,” a former NSC official told Politico. “This had Trump’s fingerprints all over it.”
So why the denial? Because the truth is political dynamite: American forces killed unarmed civilians, then the military wiped out a witness boat and spun a fairy tale about drug runners. If admitted, it’s a potential war crime. If denied, it’s a scandal waiting to detonate.
The Powder Keg
North Korea has already accused the U.S. of “cowardly aggression,” and AP confirms naval mobilization along the Korean coast. The risk of escalation is real. Yet Trump continues his dodge-and-weave routine, betting that Americans will look the other way.
He Likes Blowing Up Sh*t
On Friday, Trump administration officials abruptly canceled a planned bipartisan briefing with Senate national security and leadership aides regarding the U.S. military strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel. This move has heightened partisan tensions. Top Democrats expressed frustration over being sidelined in key discussions, especially as the administration appears to be escalating a broader campaign in the region without sufficient consultation with lawmakers.
This cancellation comes amid broader concerns from lawmakers over the legal and strategic basis of the operation. President Trump announced that the strike killed 11 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua cartel, but Democrats have demanded more apparent justification and more transparency. The brief cancellation follows a similar pattern earlier this year, including postponed briefings after the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Why This Matters
Because when a president can act as judge, jury, and executioner abroad, with no oversight, no accountability, and no transparency, democracy itself is on life support. These aren’t just “foreign policy” moves; they are the building blocks of unchecked executive power. If left unchallenged, today’s missile strikes in international waters become tomorrow’s blank check for authoritarian rule here at home.
What To Do
Congress must demand answers and reassert its constitutional authority. The public must stay vigilant, amplify outrage, and refuse to normalize secrecy in war-making. And you, every reader, must take this fight personally.
Share this story, call your representatives, and remind them they are guardians of your voice. If we surrender that, we aren’t just losing a policy debate—we’re forfeiting the very rule of law.
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