Trump’s War Secretary Hegseth Defies Court, Double-Downs on Censoring the Press
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is escalating his war on the media, even after a federal judge struck down his Pentagon press restrictions as unconstitutional censorship. In a ruling Friday, Judge Paul Friedman said Hegseth’s policy was “viewpoint discrimination” aimed at punishing outlets that don’t publish pro-Pentagon propaganda.
Naturally, Hegseth is appealing.
This is the same Pentagon chief who, since rebranding the Defense Department as the “Department of War,” has systematically excluded major outlets like CNN and The New York Times while ushering in a handpicked roster of MAGA-friendly outlets. Last fall, he launched a “media rotation program” that booted legacy press from their workspaces inside the Pentagon and replaced them with Breitbart, One America News Network, and other fringe players.
When journalists protested, Hegseth’s team gave credentials to what they called “the next generation of the Pentagon press corps” — a gaggle of pro-Trump propagandists who now get front-row seats at briefings while experienced military reporters are banished to the back.
During the Iran strikes, Hegseth only called on MAGA outlets, claiming the “dishonest and anti-Trump press” spreads “fake news.” He even accused mainstream media of falling for AI-generated images of the USS Abraham Lincoln on fire — a lie CNN’s Daniel Dale quickly debunked.
Hegseth’s latest stunt? Banning press photographers from briefings after they captured unflattering photos of him. The pictures were too honest for his taste, so he censored them.
The New York Times, which sued over the press restrictions, hailed the ruling as a victory for press freedom. But Hegseth, channeling his inner Trump, insists he’ll keep fighting. Meanwhile, actual military sources continue leaking to traditional outlets because they know MAGA media can’t be trusted to tell the truth.
So much for transparency in wartime. But hey, at least Hegseth is keeping his Fox News buddies happy.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
