The Pentagon has accused a news outlet of endangering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for reporting on information surrounding his protection detail.
The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is the agency responsible for security for top Pentagon officials, and the secretary’s unusually large security detail has put a strain on CID, according to the Washington Post.
In addition to providing security for senior DoD officials, CID’s primary mission is to investigate crimes within the Army.
CID has been forced to pull agents off investigations to bolster the protection details for Hegseth’s family, including for his second, now ex-wife, in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. The agency has also activated military reservists to fill in some of the staffing shortages.
Previously, about 150 of CID’s roughly 1,500 agents, or 10%, work on protective duty. That number has increased about threefold since Hegseth started at the Pentagon in January, according to the Post.
Several DoD officials criticized the report, claiming it endangers the secretary. The Post said it left out sensitive details.
“Any action pertaining to the security of Secretary Hegseth and his family has been in response to the threat environment and at the full recommendation the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID),” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
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Jacob Bliss, an assistant press secretary for the Pentagon, called the outlet “scum,” while acting deputy press secretary Joel Valdez said the reporters should face “severe punishment.” Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, claimed the Washington Post “is actively putting him and his family in danger for clicks,” and called the journalists “disgusting.”
CID did not respond to a request for comment.
The agency told the outlet it “operates within existing resource constraints” and said it “proactively adjusts its efforts to address emerging threats and maintains a robust security posture in both the investigative and protective realms.”
The rise in politically motivated violence has also contributed to the need for a larger detail.
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The agencies tasked with the protection of government officials, which also includes the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Secret Service, have faced overwhelming scrutiny over the last year following the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and the planned attempt that was stopped.
“In the wake of two assassination attempts against President Trump, ICE agents facing a 1000% increase in assaults, and repeated threats of retaliation from Iran for striking their nuclear capabilities, it’s astonishing that the Washington Post is criticizing a high-ranking Cabinet official for receiving appropriate security protection,” Parnell added.
The Trump administration has stripped the federal security detail for a number of former officials, including former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who were nominated to their most senior positions during Trump’s first term but are no longer on good terms with the president.
