The publisher of “Franklin the Turtle,” a Canadian book franchise aimed at preschoolers, has expressed criticism after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to make light of deadly boat strikes in Latin America by posting a doctored image that showed the well-known turtle character attacking the crew of a narcotics vessel.

The Washington Post reported exclusively Friday that Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill the entire crew of a vessel thought to be ferrying narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, the first of nearly 20 such strikes carried out by the administration since early September. When two survivors were detected, a military commander directed another strike to comply with Hegseth’s order that no one be left alive, The Post reported.

In a poston X over the weekend, Hegseth shared an

See Full Page