Officials at the U.S. Military Academy should not be feeding lies to left-wing reporters about President Trump’s nominees.
West Point needs to thoroughly investigate this egregiously bad judgement and potential violation of the Privacy Act immediately. pic.twitter.com/gQpFjLbLaS
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) December 11, 2024
Senator Tom Cotton has demanded an investigation into West Point following a scandal involving Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. The controversy erupted when West Point officials falsely claimed Hegseth was never accepted into the academy. This misinformation was quickly exposed when Hegseth presented his acceptance letter, forcing the academy to issue an apology.
The situation reveals a troubling lack of accountability. A West Point public affairs officer initially told a ProPublica reporter that Hegseth had neither applied nor been accepted. This statement, made twice on the record, could have led to a damaging smear campaign. However, Hegseth posted a 1999 photo of his acceptance letter, forcing West Point to correct its mistake and call it an “administrative error.”
This incident raises serious concerns about the integrity of West Point’s communications. Senator Cotton has expressed his alarm, accusing the academy of feeding false information to left-wing reporters about a presidential nominee. He has called for a full investigation, emphasizing the violation of the Privacy Act of 1974, which prohibits the unauthorized release of personal information.
West Point public affairs lied to ProPublica, wrongly said Pete Hegseth never even applied to the academy.
Hegseth responded with a copy of his 1999 West Point acceptance letter, killing ProPublica's story.
Big error from West Point. https://t.co/sLpFDCoq3F
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) December 11, 2024
The most shocking aspect of this episode is the suspicion of political motives behind the misinformation. Cotton and others suggest that the false statements may have been part of a coordinated effort to sabotage Hegseth’s nomination. This allegation points to the toxic, partisan atmosphere surrounding political appointments and the extreme lengths some will go to in order to shape the outcome.
Sources:
https://www.aol.com/pete-hegseth-lawyer-sen-cotton-233750813.html