Trump recovers “War Bureau” as defense team
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing him to defend. Pete Hegses uses “War Division” as the secondary name of the pentagon.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump appears to be different from war secretary Pete Hegses on new restrictions on Pentagon reporters.
In a comment to a reporter on September 21, the president indicated that the Pentagon should not decide whether the press can or cannot report it.
According to a 17-page document obtained by USA Today, Trump’s statement contradicts the new rules issued by Hegses and the Pentagon and the new rules and pentagons issued by reporters issued by the Pentagon. The document points out that “even if the information is uncategorized, it is necessary to make it public for public public servants to be made public.”
The memo also states that reporters engage in “non-professional conduct that could help disrupt the Pentagon’s operations” and can revoke their qualifications, including “an attempt to obtain them improperly” or “physical ownership of classified national security or controlled, uncategorized information.”
When asked if the Pentagon was responsible for determining what reporters could report a few days after the rules were announced, Trump told reporters, “No, I don’t think so.”
“Listen, there’s nothing to stop reporters,” he added.
But in a X post on September 19th, Hegses said, “The ‘media’ doesn’t run through the pentagon – people do. The media is no longer allowed to roam the halls of safe facilities. Wear badges and follow the rules – or go home.”
National Press Club President Mike Balsamo wrote in a statement that the new Pentagon’s mission is “a direct attack on independent journalism where independent scrutiny is most important.”
“If news about our military must be first approved by the government, the people are no longer receiving independent reports. It’s getting just what officials want to see. It should be on the alert for all Americans,” Balsamo said. He called for the restrictions to be lifted.
In January, the Pentagon removed several major news organizations, including NBC News, from its workspace after enacting a new “annual media rotation program.”
(This article has been updated to add new information.)
