Trump Officials Slam Washington Post Over Pete Hegseth Security Report

A major fight has broken out between the Trump administration and one of America’s biggest newspapers. Top Pentagon officials are angrily attacking the Washington Post over a new report.

The report was about the high cost of protecting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Washington Post found that his security needs are a “multimillion-dollar” project that is straining the Army’s security team.

Why Are Pentagon Officials So Angry?

The Pentagon’s main spokesman, Sean Parnell, did not hold back. He released a furious statement on social media.

He called the Washington Post a “left-wing blog” and accused them of trying to put the Secretary’s life in danger. He said that after two assassination attempts on President Trump, it is crucial to protect top officials.

Another official, Joel Valdez, went even further. He said there should be “severe punishment” for the three journalists who wrote the story.

What Did the Washington Post Actually Report?

The newspaper’s report said that Secretary Hegseth’s “unusually large” security needs are a big burden on the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID).

The report says:
The CID usually uses about 150 agents to protect top officials.
Now, because of Hegseth’s needs, that number is between 400 and 500 agents.

One shocked CID official said: “I’ve never seen this many security teams for one guy… Nobody has.”

The Post also says it withheld sensitive details from its story to avoid any real security risks, which is the opposite of what government officials claimed.

Why Does Hegseth Need So Much Security?

The Post gave two main reasons:
He has a large family with homes in multiple states that all need protection.
There was a bomb threat made against his home in Tennessee earlier this year.

This is just the latest controversy for Secretary Hegseth, who has been at the center of several scandals since he started the job.

The fight between the government and the media is getting hotter, with both sides accusing the other of acting dangerously.