Hegseth Mocks Possible War Crimes Using Children's Cartoon 'Franklin The Turtle'

From a missile blast in the Caribbean to a children's book parody, the controversy surrounding US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken a turn that many deem grotesque.

The uproar intensified after Hegseth shared a cartoonish image at a moment when he faces grave accusations of authorising an unlawful second strike against survivors of a boat attack. His post, which portrays a beloved animated turtle launching a missile, landed not as humour but as a provocation, sharpening scrutiny over the legality and morality of the operation in question.

Instead of offering transparency or a detailed rebuttal, Hegseth's online provocation has widened the political and legal fallout that raises fresh concerns about the judgement of the official at the centre of a rapidly escalating scandal.

Mockery Amid Massacre

On 1 December 2025, Hegseth posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account a doctored cover of the beloved children's book character Franklin the Turtle, re-titled 'Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists', depicting the turtle firing a missile from a helicopter at a boat. The caption, 'For your Christmas wish list...'.

The post came just days after a damning report by The Washington Post alleged that, on 2 September 2025, Hegseth personally ordered a US strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel off the Caribbean coast, and then instructed the elimination of any survivors. According to two US officials with direct knowledge, the command wasm 'kill everybody'.

When two men survived the initial blast, the Special Operations commander overseeing the assault allegedly authorised a second 'double-tap' strike, killing the survivors, to comply with Hegseth's order.

Hegseth's now-viral meme, combining a children's icon with lethal violence, immediately sparked outrage among critics, legal experts, and lawmakers who argue the post amounts to a cynical, callous trivialisation of potentially criminal acts.

Legal Alarm Bells: War Crime or Murder?

International law experts and former military lawyers have warned that the alleged double-tap strike, followed by Hegseth's mocking post, may constitute a war crime or outright murder.

In a public statement, the group known as the Former JAGs Working Group said that orders to 'give no quarter' and kill survivors, especially those already shipwrecked or otherwise incapacitated, violate both US military law and the laws of armed conflict.

As the statement reads, 'Whether one calls it war crime, or murder, or both — there are no other options'.

Senators from both parties have publicly condemned the reported order. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told ABC's This Week he believed 'it's very possible there was a war crime committed'.

Simultaneously, congressional oversight committees, led by the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, announced they will conduct a full review of the strike, demanding all orders, legal justifications, and video evidence from the Pentagon.

Defence, Denials — and a Meme

In the wake of the revelations, Hegseth defended the strikes as legitimate operations against 'narco-terrorists', claiming they were 'lawful under both US and international law' and approved by 'the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command'.

Yet the decision to use a children's character, previously associated with innocence and education, to depict a lethal strike against human beings has drawn sharp condemnation for being gratuitously provocative and morally irresponsible.

Critics argue it shows utter disregard for human life. One commenter on social media called it 'so sad' to trivialise killing and mock victims rather than seek justice or answer serious charges.

Since September 2025, the US military has conducted more than 20 air strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, killing at least 80 people, under the banner of Operation Southern Spear.

The Trump administration justifies the campaign by designating drug traffickers as 'narco-terrorists'. but critics argue the United States has blurred the line between law enforcement and military action — and in doing so, undermined legal norms that once formed the backbone of rule-of-law enforcement against crime.

So far, the US government has released almost no public evidence, no names of victims; no cargo manifests; no legal memos; no video feeds; and almost no transparency. The families of those killed remain largely unidentified, afraid, or unable to come forward. And now, with the Franklin parody, their deaths are being treated as a punchline.

The mocking cartoon adds insult to injury, converting what may be mass killing into a propaganda meme, distancing decision-makers from the human consequences of their actions.