The Pentagon has established a joint task force with the Department of Justice to identify and prosecute individuals within the department who leak sensitive information to the media, according to an announcement Monday from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth stated that the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel (OGC) will be empowered to request and receive all necessary information, support, and records from across the department pertaining to media leak investigations. "Leaked information risks lives, these new tools and processes will greatly assist us in protecting our joint force," Hegseth said in a video shared on X. "The security of our nation cannot be a bargaining chip for those who seek momentary headlines, access to confidential and secret information is a sacred trust, and those who betray that trust will be met with the full force of the law."
The announcement follows closely after the Justice Department issued subpoenas to four reporters from The New York Times. These subpoenas sought to compel the journalists to testify before a federal grand jury regarding their reporting on security concerns related to a plane gifted to former President Donald Trump by Qatar, which he used for travel to Turkey. The New York Times and various press freedom organizations criticized the subpoenas, calling them an attempt to intimidate reporters engaged in legitimate news gathering.
David McCraw, an attorney for The New York Times, stated that "The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects." He added that the action was "nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs."
Since assuming leadership of the Pentagon, Hegseth has pursued a strategy to curtail leaks to the press. Previous actions by the department have included opening investigations into alleged leakers of classified information and threatening to use polygraphs to identify them. Hegseth also sought to implement restrictions on reporters covering the Pentagon, requiring them to sign a pledge against soliciting unauthorized material, even if unclassified. Many Pentagon reporters protested this policy by turning in their press badges. A lawsuit challenging these restrictions resulted in a preliminary injunction last month, with a judge ruling that the department's requirement for official chaperones to accompany journalists at all times violated the First Amendment, a case brought by The New York Times.