White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the second strike was carried out "in self-defense" and "in accordance" with laws governing armed conflict.
President Donald Trump was expected to meet with his national security team Monday as bipartisan scrutiny has mounted over a report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order in September to strike the vessel.
Democrats have said that the allegations first reported by The Washington Post last week could amount to a war crime, and Republicans have also voiced their concerns about the legality of the Sept. 2 attack in the Caribbean. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have opened investigations into the recent U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.