Pentagon ‘bars’ photographers because staff thought Pete Hegseth’s photos were ‘unflattering’
The Defence Department has allegedly barred press photographers from the Iran War briefings – after they took ‘unflattering’ photos of Pete Hegseth.
Two sources spoke anonymously to the Washington Post, revealing that the Defence Secretary’s staff deemed the photos ‘unflattering’.
After various news agencies published the photos, the staff members told colleagues they didn’t like how Hegseth looked.
On March 4 and March 10, photographers weren’t able to attend briefings on the Iran War, it is understood.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson defended the choice to allegedly bar press photographers after one Iran briefing, suggesting that it was the news outlets’ fault for not being ‘credentialed’.
‘In order to use space in the Pentagon Briefing Room effectively, we are allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding the pool,’ she said.
‘Photographs from the briefings are immediately released online for the public and press to use. If that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, then they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential.’
The White House hasn’t commented on the allegations.
Since taking the helm of the DOD, ‘Secretary of War’ Hegseth has been at odds with the press.
After the US struck Iranian nuclear sites last summer, Hegseth gave a speech at the Pentagon that came across as more of a condescending lecture.
In it, he sneered as he slammed the press for their coverage of the attacks on nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.
Through gritted teeth, Hegseth told reporters: ‘The assessment is that we significantly damaged the nuclear program, setting it back by years, I repeat, years. What the United States did was historic.’
Furrowing his brow, the defence chief added: ‘But because you – and I mean specifically you, the press – because you cheer against Trump so hard… You want him not to be successful so badly that you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes.
‘You hope maybe they weren’t effective, the way the Trump administration has represented them isn’t true, so you make half-truths, spin leaked information into every way you can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind.’
In a previous press briefing, Hegseth announced that an Iranian leader who ‘tried to assassinate Trump’ had been killed.
Hegseth added: ‘This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it’s not a fair fight… they’re going down.
‘More and larger waves are coming; we are just getting started.’
Hegseth has long called for a Christian nationalist approach to leadership, but the revelation that American soldiers were told the conflict in Iran was ‘God’s plan’ to bring about Armageddon sparked hundreds of complaints.
One complainant said their commander kicked off their combat readiness briefing by ‘urging us not to be “afraid”‘ of the looming threat of war.
They said: ‘He urged us to tell our troops that this was “all part of God’s divine plan”, and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
‘He said : “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”‘
The complaint was filed by a noncommissioned officer (NCO) of a 16-strong unit made up of Christians, Muslim and Jewish service members.
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