On Tuesday, the Pentagon press corps effectively ceased to exist. Reporters who refused to sign a simple memorandum acknowledging new rules for covering the Defense Department were stripped of their press credentials on the spot. Only one outlet — OANN — complied. Every other major network and publication is now banned from the Pentagon.
And let’s be clear — this wasn’t some draconian loyalty oath. Reporters weren’t being forced to agree to censorship or pledge allegiance to the Trump administration. They were merely asked to acknowledge a set of commonsense guidelines aimed at curbing leaks without restricting legitimate reporting. All they had to do was confirm they’d read the rules — and the mainstream media still couldn’t manage that.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s tenure has been plagued by leaks from within — mostly from entrenched senior bureaucrats and career officials who can’t stand his unapologetic focus on warfighting, the warrior ethos, and actually keeping America safe. These aren’t patriots; they’re paper-pushers clinging to their little fiefdoms inside the Pentagon.
The flawless execution of Operation Midnight Hammer — with zero leaks — proved exactly where the problem lies. The resistance isn’t coming from the rank-and-file troops or the officers in uniform. It’s coming from the bloated layer of super-grade civilians who’ve spent decades building bureaucratic empires and waiting out every new defense secretary who dares to shake things up.
As all this was unfolding, CNN’s Barbara Starr issued a cryptic warning to Secretary Hegseth during an on-air chat with Kaitlan Collins — who, in true CNN fashion, seemed to be interviewing her colleague despite having no firsthand knowledge of the subject whatsoever.
Honestly, I’ve never understood the journalistic value of one uninformed reporter interviewing another equally clueless reporter, but hey — that’s modern journalism for you.
Barbara Starr, longtime CNN correspondent and stalwart of the Pentagon press corps, on Secretary Hegseth’s changes to press policy: “I think he's about to potentially run into a buzz saw of trouble, because reporters are going to continue to report whether they're inside the… pic.twitter.com/uVzqE9CpFX
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 15, 2025
“I think he’s about to potentially run into a buzz saw of trouble, because reporters are going to continue to report whether they’re inside the building or not.”
This sounds suspiciously like Chuck Schumer’s warning to Donald Trump about not bowing down to the Intelligence Community ahead of Trump’s first term: “Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you. So, even for a practical, supposedly hard-nosed businessman, he’s being really dumb to do this.”
As sure as night follows day, the personal attacks on Pete Hegseth have begun — right on cue. The media can’t stand a patriotic conservative shaking up their cozy establishment, so they’re doing what they always do: smear and destroy.
The Daily Beast just released a snide YouTube video gleefully predicting Hegseth’s downfall, calling him “the first big scalp” of the current Trump administration (where have we heard this before … about Hegseth??).
Here is the comical synopsis:
Hegseth still has a government paycheck, for now, but the clock appears to be ticking. Gardner told interviewer Joanne Coles that Trump vowed to avoid the revolving door chaos of his first term, promising cabinet secretaries a full year to prove they could deliver. That grace period, Gardner suggested, is about to expire. “Watch out for January and Pete Hegseth,” he said, predicting the Pentagon chief will not make it much past the first anniversary.
Set a one-year runway, put every top official in a loyalty bake off, then see who actually performs. Daily Beast political reporter Sarah Ewall Wice argued the framework looks intentional, if you say early that your cabinet picks are not long term, you force them to compete for attention and prove absolute loyalty from day one. In that kind of survival game, performance is only half the test, the other half is whether you are the president’s favorite.
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On that scorecard, insiders paint Hegseth as faltering. Gardner has been blunt, calling the defense secretary “bottom of the list in terms of efficiency and top of the list in terms of suck ups.” While Hegseth publicly thunders for the MAGA crowd, he is reportedly taking a back seat in real decision making, ceding the spotlight to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is said to be the current apple of Trump’s eye. One anecdote making the rounds has Hegseth routed to a separate plane during a recent Middle East swing, the kind of not-so-subtle body language that Washington reads as a pink slip in motion.
All of it is unfolding against a worsening fight with the press that has lit up every Pentagon hallway. In an extraordinary standoff, longtime defense reporters surrendered their credentials after a new Department of Defense memo attempted to ban the publication of unclassified information without explicit permission. The Pentagon Press Association called it a direct threat to national security reporting, claiming the policy would criminalize basic journalism and expose reporters to prosecution for doing their jobs. In a searing statement, the PPA called October 15, 2025, a dark day for press freedom and a warning siren about transparency at the world’s most powerful military.
How dare Hegseth prohibit the publishing of information that hasn’t been cleared for publication!! NO KINGS! Meanwhile, the White House has responded to the video:
“This is total fake news – but that’s to be expected from the TDS-ridden shitposters at the Daily Beast,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
“President Trump has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth and appreciates all he is doing to restore a focus on readiness and lethality at the Department of War,” she added.
“The Daily Beast has no credibility whatsoever, “Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said. “The ramblings of their Washington bureau chief should be taken no more seriously than the ramblings of a crackhead on the street.”
“Secretary Hegseth’s position is far more secure than that of a Daily Beast staffer, whose organization was gutted last year following massive buyouts and layoffs,” they added.
Personally, I don’t see Hegseth going anywhere — though in Washington, you can never rule out the swamp pulling something sneaky. Hegseth’s connection with the rank-and-file military is unmatched; the troops respect him because he actually respects them. Unlike so many armchair bureaucrats, he’s been in the fight and knows what it means to serve.
There haven’t been any whiffs of personal scandal, shady contracts, or procurement fiascos — the usual things that sink cabinet secretaries in D.C. Add to that the fact that Hegseth is wildly popular with Trump’s base, and firing him would make zero political sense. Unless there’s some colossal screw-up, the only people calling for his head are the same Beltway insiders terrified that he’s exposing just how useless they’ve become.
What this all boils down to is simple payback. The media is furious that Pete Hegseth finally put an end to their freewheeling, leak-happy coverage of the Pentagon. They stormed out in protest expecting outrage — and when no one cared, they decided to get even.
Now, their revenge strategy is clear: churn out hit pieces, question his leadership, and float stories suggesting he’s “on the way out.” It’s classic D.C. character assassination. They know these stories can rattle subordinates, undermine his credibility with foreign allies, and stir up backstabbing among Republicans who see an opportunity for career advancement.
