{"id":5544,"date":"2026-07-14T03:30:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5544"},"modified":"2026-07-14T03:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:30:55","slug":"hegseth-announces-joint-taskforce-with-doj-to-target-and-prosecute-press-leaks-pete-hegseth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5544","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth announces joint taskforce with DoJ to target and prosecute press leaks | Pete Hegseth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The US defense secretary, \u2060Pete Hegseth, \u200bannounced on Monday that the Pentagon and the US Department of Justice have created a \u201cjoint taskforce \u200bto identify and \u200bprosecute\u201d what he called the \u201cunauthorized disclosure \u200bof sensitive\u201d information to the press, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration\u2019s effort to crackdown on leaks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecWar\/status\/2076673841913344136\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">\u2060video \u200bposted on X<\/a>, Hegseth said that \u201cto combat the dangers that leaks pose, effectively immediately, I have \u200bdelegated tasking authority \u200bto the war department\u2019s \u200coffice \u2060of general counsel, empowering OGC to request and receive \u200ball \u200binformation, \u2060records and support across the \u200bdepartment concerning \u200bmedia \u2060leak investigations\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cLeaked information risks lives, these new tools and processes will greatly assist us in protecting our joint force,\u201d he said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"05a14274-7e35-41c7-a2a8-28ff175983bb\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Is Donald Trump winning his war against the media?&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;05a14274-7e35-41c7-a2a8-28ff175983bb&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jul\/13\/trump-war-on-media&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:0,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In his remarks, he also thanked the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, \u201cfor his help in this important project\u201d, and said that he was \u201cproud that our departments are working together closer than we have ever before\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The new taskforce comes as over the weekend, the New York Times said that the Trump administration issued <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/11\/justice-department-subpoenas-new-york-times-air-force-one\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">subpoenas to several of the paper\u2019s journalists<\/a>, after they reported on security concerns regarding Donald Trump\u2019s new Qatari-gifted plane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Wednesday, the Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/08\/us\/politics\/trump-air-force-one-security.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reported<\/a> that Trump left Turkey onboard the old Air Force One, instead of his new Qatari-gifted aircraft, as a security precaution at the urging of the Secret Service. The following day, the newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/09\/us\/politics\/new-air-force-one-defensive-countermeasures.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reported<\/a> that the new Air Force One lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft. Both stories cited anonymous sources.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Saturday, the Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/11\/business\/media\/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> that their reporters had been issued subpoenas, seeking to compel them to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">According to the newspaper, before publishing its first story, a senior FBI official contacted a reporter and senior editor asking for the article to be withheld, calling it an issue of national security, but declined to explain the security issue. The official also reportedly requested that the Times disclose its sources for the article, which the Times refused to do.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">David McCraw, the Times\u2019s top newsroom lawyer, condemned the subpoenas in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/11\/business\/media\/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">statement<\/a>, saying that the \u201cappearance 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\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A spokesperson for the justice department told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/11\/business\/media\/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">New York Times<\/a> on Saturday that the \u201creporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWe value and appreciate the important role that the press plays in this country, but DOJ also plays an important role to make sure that the people entrusted with our nation\u2019s secrets do what they\u2019re supposed to do with that information,\u201d the justice department spokesperson added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Washington DC-based National Press Club <a href=\"https:\/\/www.press.org\/newsroom\/national-press-club-statement-justice-departments-decision-subpoena-new-york-times\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> that the subpoenas \u201cshould alarm every American because it threatens the public\u2019s constitutional right to an independent press\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/11\/business\/media\/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">described<\/a> the subpoenas as an \u201can extraordinary escalation in President Trump\u2019s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It comes as earlier this year, the justice department also sought to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/23\/us\/subpoenas-wall-street-journal-washington-post.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">compel testimony<\/a> from journalists at the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/06\/23\/doj-issued-then-withdrew-subpoenas-force-post-wsj-reporters-testify\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">withdrawing the subpoenas <\/a>after they were challenged by the news organizations. And in January, federal agents took the extraordinary step of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/14\/fbi-raid-washington-post-hannah-natanson\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">raiding the home<\/a> of a Washington Post reporter as part of an investigation into a government contractor\u2019s handling of classified records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The US defense secretary, \u2060Pete Hegseth, \u200bannounced on Monday that the Pentagon and the US Department of Justice have created a \u201cjoint taskforce \u200bto identify and \u200bprosecute\u201d what he called the \u201cunauthorized disclosure \u200bof sensitive\u201d information to the press, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration\u2019s effort to crackdown on leaks. In a \u2060video&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4270ebfd59f3391714959ffa7786a61e088eada0\/399_0_3985_3188\/master\/3985.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=97259273980e24967478fb3d0ff708fc","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}