Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday a new initiative to combat media leaks, declaring a "war on leakers" and vowing to "identify and prosecute" those responsible for betraying national security. The announcement was made via a post on X, formerly Twitter, stating that the Department of Defense's Office of General Counsel will be empowered to "request and receive all information, records, and support across the Department concerning media leak investigations."
Hegseth emphasized the dangers leaks pose to military personnel, writing, "To leak sensitive national defense information is to betray our warriors and put them in danger. That’s why the @DEPTOFWAR and @THEJUSTICEDEPT have created a joint task force to IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE LEAKERS."
However, the announcement quickly drew criticism and mockery, with many social media users and news outlets pointing to Hegseth's own past encounters with classified information. Critics resurfaced instances where Hegseth had previously downplayed or been implicated in security breaches. For example, a 2019 report by The Atlantic detailed a communication involving Hegseth and an individual who allegedly leaked war plans. At the time, Hegseth called the revelation a "hoax" and insisted no sensitive war plans were revealed, a claim that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg disputed, telling CNN it was "a lie."
Social media responses to Hegseth's recent post included pointed questions such as, "So are you going to arrest yourself then?" The swift backlash highlighted what critics perceive as hypocrisy, given Hegseth's past actions and statements regarding national security information. HuffPost reached out to Hegseth for comment on the responses but received no immediate reply. Goldberg himself responded to Hegseth's post with a single emoji, a gesture widely interpreted as a subtle acknowledgment of the criticism against the Defense Secretary.