By Haley Britzky, CNN

(CNN) — As the US military’s September strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean has come under increased scrutiny by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and military legal experts, the Trump administration’s explanation has shifted.

CNN and other outlets have reported that after an initial strike on a boat killed some of the crew and appeared to disable the ship, the military determined there were survivors and ordered at least one additional strike, according to sources. In total, 11 crew members were killed, the Pentagon has said.

While President Donald Trump announced a strike on September 2, the details – including a follow-up strike – were not initially disclosed by the Trump administration.

The day after the operation, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he watched the operation live, emphasizing the level of planning behind the attack. But on Tuesday, he said he watched only the first strike live and then had to attend to other meetings, and learned of the rest of the operation hours later.

Hegseth, his team at the Pentagon, and the White House have begun repeatedly pointing to Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, commander of US Special Operations Command, as the official who ultimately made the decision for a follow-up strike that killed survivors.

Here’s a timeline of the administration’s explanation of the strike:

September 2: President Donald Trump social media post

Early in the morning on September 2, President Donald Trump announced in a social media post that the US military had “conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” in US Southern Command’s area of responsibility.

The strike killed 11 individuals, and began a series of 21 strikes that so far have killed more than 80 people. And while officials tied the first strike specifically to the Tren de Aragua gang, more recent strikes have not been identified as belonging to any specific organization.

September 2: Secretary of State Marco Rubio talking to reporters in Florida

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told traveling press in Florida that the alleged drugs targeted in the September 2 strike “were probably headed to Trinidad or some other country in the Caribbean.”

“As far as specifics and future operations, I have to refer you to the Pentagon on that,” he said. “This is a DOD operation.”

The destination of the drugs would be a key point for the legal rationale the Pentagon has employed to justify the strikes, as the Trump administration has argued that the drugs constitute a weapon headed towards the US.

Experts have said that drug routes in that area of the Caribbean are typically used to transport cocaine to Europe, as opposed to the US.

The next day, he told reporters at a news conference that the boat was “headed towards the United States to flood our country with poison.”

September 3: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Fox and Friends

The day after the strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told “Fox & Friends” that he “watched it live,” and that the US military “knew exactly who was in that boat, we knew exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they represented.”

Lawmakers later said that Trump administration briefers told them they did not know the identities of all the individuals involved in the strikes.

September 4: Hegseth talking to reporters at Fort Benning, Georgia

Speaking to traveling press during a visit to Fort Benning, Georgia, Hegseth said the military has “absolute and complete authority” to conduct the strike, but repeatedly declined to give further information when asked. He said there was “no reason for me to give the public or adversaries any more information” than that the Pentagon has the proper authorities.

When pushed by a reporter how the Defense Department knew all 11 crew members on the alleged drug boat were “narcoterrorists” or where they were going, Hegseth quipped, “Why should I tell you that?”

November 28: Hegseth dismisses media reports as ‘fabricated’

In the wake of reporting by The Washington Post and CNN regarding a second strike ordered after people survived the initial attack on September 2, Hegseth took to social media to dismiss the reports as “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory.”

“The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth said in a post on X.

He went on to defend the legality of the strikes, saying, “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”

November 30: Trump to reporters on Air Force One

Trump addressed the September 2 strikes, telling reporters traveling on Air Force One that Hegseth told him he “did not want them,” and said he wouldn’t have supported a second strike.

When asked if he believes there was not a second strike, Trump said, “I don’t know, I’m going to find out about it. But Pete said he did not order the death of those two men.”

November 30: Hegseth social media post

The same day Trump told reporters that Hegseth did not order the death of the surviving crew members, Hegseth posted an image from his X account of an edited illustration of popular children’s book series “Franklin the Turtle,” showing the turtle standing at the door of a helicopter firing what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade launcher on a boat down below, titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”

“For your Christmas wish list…,” Hegseth said in the post, which tagged US Southern Command.

The publisher of the “Franklin the Turtle” book series later put out a statement saying they “strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image.”

December 1: Hegseth social media post

In a social media post on Monday evening, Hegseth appeared to shift responsibility for the strike onto the commander of US Special Operations Command, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who he said ordered the strike. His comment came just hours after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did the same, confirming the second strike and saying Bradley was “well within his authority” to order it. She added that he directed “the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed.”

“Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since,” he said.

Bradley is expected to meet with senators from key committees this week.

December 2: Hegseth at White House Cabinet meeting

During a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Hegseth backtracked again, saying that he watched the first strike live but then “moved on to my next meeting” and learned a “couple of hours later” that Bradley had made the decision to strike the boat a second time.

“And by the way, Adm. Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth said.

Trump, after having seemingly distanced himself from the idea of a second strike in his November 30 remarks to reporters, did not repeat his reservations about a follow-up strike days later in the Cabinet meeting, but he did emphasize he wasn’t part of the decision.

“I didn’t know about the second strike,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about people. I wasn’t involved, and I knew they took out a boat, but I would say this, they had a strike.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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