Conservative online personalities on the department’s payroll have targeted critics of the Trump administration, the newspaper has claimed
The Pentagon has secretly hired conservative military veterans with a large social media following for undisclosed government roles, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. The influencers have promoted US War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s views while attacking critics of the Trump administration, the newspaper claimed.
The report comes amid President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate what his administration calls “woke” ideology from the military and his longstanding clashes with mainstream media.
According to the Post, those hired include retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness and retired Army Colonels Kurt Schlichter and Thomas Anderson. Some of their assignments could influence policy, the newspaper claims, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
All three have reportedly received official civilian email accounts and been assigned to the office of Pentagon personnel chief Anthony Tata. His team has been tasked with addressing “culture-war issues,” including reviewing military colleges for “woke” ideology, according to the Post.
The newspaper goes on to cite a late August dispute involving conservative influencer Jennica Pounds as an example of the Pentagon’s social media efforts.
Pounds accused a State Department official of trying to “entrap” her into publishing government secrets as a journalistic scoop. US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers later said she had approached Pounds and released the documents herself, prompting the influencer to apologize for “making a public spectacle” of the episode.
The Pentagon tightened press access rules last September as part of a broader crackdown on unauthorized disclosures following reports of turmoil inside the department. It has also reportedly considered using lie detector tests to identify officials leaking information.
Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly clashed with mainstream media over reports based on leaked documents and anonymous sources.
Earlier this month, Trump lashed out over reports that the war on Iran had significantly depleted US stocks of critical missiles and air defense interceptors, insisting no shortage existed.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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