Conservative journalists have raised objections against The Washington Post following a report that suggested the Pentagon had secretly employed individuals to promote narratives favoring the Trump administration. The article, authored by Dan Lamothe and Tara Copp, claimed that former military members Rob Maness, Kurt Schlichter, and Thomas Anderson were hired in civilian positions. These individuals reportedly endorsed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and criticized detractors of the administration’s military strategies.
The report stated that the Pentagon had engaged several conservative veterans with significant online presence in government roles, ostensibly to support Hegseth’s perspectives and counter critiques against the military policies of the Trump administration. According to anonymous sources, some influencers assumed civilian roles potentially influencing policy changes.
“The Pentagon has secretly installed several conservative military veterans with large online followings in government roles, declining to disclose their assignments as they amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s viewpoints and attack those who scrutinize the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter and corroborating material,” the report read.
Reacting to the report, Maness, Schlichter, and Anderson refuted the implications, arguing that the publication had used illegally acquired information to unjustly portray them as government operatives. The trio clarified their involvement with the Pentagon was limited to advisory roles in a task force focused on improving senior service colleges, based on their military expertise.
Anderson posted on social media, stating, “My service with the Department of War as a ‘Special Government Employee’ was exclusively limited to participation in such task force and ended on July 26, 2026. At no time have I ever received any compensation of any kind from any government source of any kind for anything I write or have ever written on X or in any magazine or other source. Those who claim otherwise defame me.”
Both Maness and Schlichter expressed their support for President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, stating their desire for effective military leadership. Maness accused The Washington Post of false reporting, including releasing personal information from government data.
Schlichter criticized The Washington Post in his Townhall.com column, admonishing the media for allegedly misrepresenting the facts and labeling them as unreliable. He noted a mistake in the spelling of his name in the original report.
“The leftists who seized on this innuendo don’t care about the truth, and it’s irrelevant whether the regime media reporters wrote garbage on purpose or because they are grossly incompetent. I don’t argue with people who, through malice or ineptitude, act in bad faith unless I’m in court. But I will use this situation as a cautionary example of why the regime media is trash and why your contempt for it is so well-deserved,” Schlichter wrote.
In response, The Washington Post’s journalist, Dan Lamothe, maintained that the report was accurate. He emphasized that neither journalists nor the Pentagon disclosed the influencers were special government employees during their commentary on Pentagon matters.
Upon request for comment, the Pentagon highlighted a statement from Under Secretary of War Anthony Tata expressing gratitude toward the influencers for their advisory roles. Tata stated the task force had completed a comprehensive review of senior service colleges, aiming to enhance educational standards and military leadership.
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital and can be reached for story tips at [email protected] or Twitter @lmkornick.
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