Patriot and warrior Pete Hegseth, who President Trump has nominated for Secretary of Defense, has faced an onslaught of hit pieces, smears, and attacks. Yet Hegseth remains a warrior committed to returning our military to the fighting force it once was.
President Trump has consistently affirmed his unwavering support of Hegseth.
The Gateway Pundit reported that Hegseth became aware of a hit piece in the works from the far-left media outlet ProPublica, who hoped to smear Hegseth by disputing his prestigious appointment to West Point.
Now, new details have emerged that have ignited further scrutiny into how the outlet approached the story.
Although Hegseth ultimately did not attend the military academy, he is rightfully proud of the honor of his nomination.
ProPublica contacted West Point to confirm his nomination. West Point claimed the offer was not extended to Hegseth.
ProPublica’s editor Jesse Eisinger detailed how the story unfolded on X, saying about the decision to ultimately not publish the story, “That’s journalism.”
The journalism, it seems, was actually done by Hegseth himself, who thankfully saved 25-year-old documents to stop yet another smear.
We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999.
Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army. pic.twitter.com/UOhOVZSfhJ
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 11, 2024
West Point ultimately issued a correction, but only after Hegseth was able to provide the proof himself.
Now, ProPublica is facing backlash after an email exchange related to the nonstory was released on Thursday.
In an exclusive report, Daily Caller reporter Reagan Reese reveals that Eisinger’s claim that journalists must give the subject of a story a “fair chance to respond to all of the salient facts in the story ” actually meant Hegseth only had an hour to respond to the false accusations.
Per Daily Caller:
“I’m reaching out with an urgent request for comment for your client Pete Hegseth. We’re moving quickly so please let me know if you or he would like to comment as soon as possible. Our deadline is in one hour,” the email reads.
Elliott explains that a West Point spokesperson told ProPublica Hegseth never even applied to the school. He then asserts, seemingly based on West Point’s statement at face value, that Hegseth was lying.
“Why did Mr. Hegseth say he got in to West Point when that is not true?” Elliott wrote. “How can Mr. Hegseth be Secretary of Defense given that he has made false statements about getting in to the military’s most prestigious academy?” he continued. “Is there anything else we should know?”
Elliot’s assertion that Hegseth lied appears to have been based on a single email and phone call with West Point spokespeople. Eisenger tweeted that one West Point spokesman told them over email that Hegseth hadn’t even applied to the school, citing the Admissions Office. ProPublica then called West Point and a second spokesperson confirmed the falsehood, saying “Absolutely. 100%.”
Emails between Timothy Parlatore and Justin Elliot were obtained by the Daily Caller.
Had Hegseth not kept documents that were 25 years old, the far-left outlet might have been successful in wrongly smearing Hegseth.
The post Renewed Scrutiny Over ProPublica’s Handling of Attempted Smear of Pete Hegseth After Email Exchange Exposed appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.