Pete Hegseth's attorney, Sen. Tom Cotton, accused West Point of falsely claiming that the deputy secretary of defense candidate was not accepted to the nation's top military academy, according to a letter obtained exclusively by the newspaper. It said it could violate federal privacy laws.
In a pair of letters to military academy superintendents, attorneys Tim Parlatore and Cotton (R-Ark.) say public affairs officers shared “false information” with journalists and that President-elect Donald Trump's national defense He expressed concern that the election could be blocked. From confirmation.
“Mr. Hegseth not only applied, but was accepted as a candidate for the Class of 2003,” Parlatore said in a letter to West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Stephen Gilland, a copy of which was later released. his client tweeted 1999 admission offer.
“Making false statements to influence or damage the reputation of political candidates is particularly concerning because it can impede the democratic process and fair consideration of candidates for public office. That's true,” he added.
Cotton said that West Point's civilian spokeswoman Theresa Brinkerhoff also showed “extremely poor judgment in sharing such information about a candidate for Secretary of Defense with a well-known liberal news outlet like ProPublica.” He claimed that a reporter from the news organization was “preparing a report.” A derogatory hit piece. ”
“There's probably an honest mistake here, although I can't imagine what it is,” the Arkansas Republican said. “However, I cannot imagine that this action was authorized or known by West Point leadership.”
A West Point spokesperson later told the Post, “A review of our records shows that Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend.” . A false statement regarding Hegseth's admission to the U.S. Military Academy was published by an employee on December 10, 2024. ”
“After further review of our archived database, the employee discovered that this statement was incorrect,” the spokesperson said. “Hegseth was admitted to West Point as a member of the Class of 2003. The Academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error.”
ProPublica, an investigative nonprofit that describes itself as a “nonpartisan, prudent and independent organization,” was reporting on Hegseth's ties to West Point when it obtained the false statement from the prestigious academy. The story was never published after the publication finally received a copy of Hegseth's acceptance letter.
“So, no, we're not publishing the story,” says ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger. X Posted in a long thread on Wednesday. “This is what journalism is supposed to be: Ask me something. Check something. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as necessary. End.”
Parlatore and Cotton both called for a thorough investigation into the matter, saying West Point's actions violated the 1974 Privacy Act, which prohibits federal agencies from disclosing personnel records without an individual's explicit consent. He pointed out that there is a possibility.
The only exception to this law concerns records requested by law enforcement or through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, neither of which apply here, according to Parlatore.
Technically, all records at West Point are under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, which would be overseen by Hegseth, an Army veteran, if approved by a majority of the Senate in the 119th Congress.
In addition to “reputational damage,” Parlatore added that potentially criminal hoaxes could “undermine public confidence” in the U.S. military.
“Given these concerns, we urge you to thoroughly investigate this matter and take appropriate corrective action to prevent future violations.As fellow Service Academy alumni, we are committed to ensuring that the Service Academy maintains the highest standards of privacy and privacy in our communications. We believe that maintaining accuracy and integrity is essential.”
If a government official makes a false statement with the intent to mislead, the penalty is up to five years in prison or a fine.
Hegseth was admitted to the U.S. Military Academy in January 1999, but chose to attend Princeton University later that year, according to a letter from his attorney to the U.S. Military Academy.
The future national defense candidate served in the Ivy League school's ROTC program, graduating in 2003, and then served nearly 20 years in the Minnesota National Guard and Army National Guard, eventually rising to the rank of major.
He served on three deployments, including as a platoon leader during the Iraq War and as a counterinsurgency tactics teacher in Afghanistan, and was awarded two Bronze Star Medals.
Hegseth, 44, is fending off separate accusations from anonymous former colleagues that he was expelled from the veterans organization he led between 2007 and 2016 for binge drinking and sexual misconduct. Those who worked with him have completely denied the allegations as false.
Parlatore disputed other sexual assault allegations in 2017, pointing to police reports that contradicted those of his accusers. The accuser believes that he or she has made a false allegation of wrongdoing against another person.
Hegseth's confirmation has been in limbo for weeks, with Republican senators balking at “alarming” allegations against the defense appointee, but Trump, 78, has refused to back out.
“Pete Hegseth is in great spirits. His support is strong and deep, much stronger than the fake news would have you believe,” the former and future president wrote in Truth Social last week, saying he is reconsidering his election. He denied the report.
“He was a great Princeton/Harvard educated student with a military mindset. He would make a great, energetic Secretary of Defense,” the former Fox News personality added. “He will be a person who will demonstrate leadership with his charisma and skills,'' he predicted.
“Pete is a winner and there's nothing you can do to change that!!!” he chirped.
Sen. Joni Ernst, a rape survivor, was the only Republican to indicate that she was not ready to vote “yes” on Hegseth's confirmation, but after private discussions, the Pentagon's He is positive about the nomination.
“After our encouraging conversations, Pete completed a full audit of the Department of Defense, upholding the role and value of servicemen and women based on quality and standards, not quotas, and prioritizing and strengthening my mission. We have committed to electing high-ranking officials to work to prevent sexual assault within our ranks,” said Ernst (R-Iowa).
Just four Republican senators would need to vote “no” to defeat Trump.
