Hegseth's Hostile Pentagon Press Conference and Press Control
Pete Hegseth held a Pentagon press conference where he bristled and snapped at hand-picked journalists asking questions about the U.S. war with Iran. The press pool was composed of handpicked Trump-friendly outlets, after seasoned reporters refused to sign a restrictive Pentagon gag order.
Key Points
- Hegseth snapped at his own hand-picked journalists who asked seemingly innocuous questions during the Pentagon press conference
- Hegseth had a pre-selected list of questioners with all reporters in assigned seats so he knew who to call on
- At the start of the briefing, Hegseth criticized the media for 'hunting for scandals all the time' and accused reporters of failing to acknowledge 'historic moments' like improved military recruiting
- The Pentagon barred its own military news publication Stars and Stripes from attending the press conference, claiming there was no room
- Conservative publications like One America News, The Federalist, The Epoch Times, and The Gateway Pundit were present, while outlets like Fox News, The New York Times, and Reuters had refused to sign the restrictive new Pentagon policy