Hegseth Announces New Effort to Identify, Prosecute Media Leakers

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon and the Department of Justice have established a joint task force to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for leaking sensitive information, as part of the administration’s broader effort to crack down on unauthorized disclosures.

Hegseth said the War Department’s Office of General Counsel will have the authority to request and obtain records, information, and support from across the Pentagon in connection with investigations into leaks involving the news media.

The war secretary said all Pentagon components and personnel will be required to “prioritize” those requests.

He added that any taskings issued by the Office of General Counsel under the new authority must receive a “full and complete” response within two days of being submitted.

“Leaked information risks lives. These new tools and processes will greatly assist us in protecting our joint force. The security of our nation cannot be a bargaining chip for those who seek momentary headlines,” Hegseth said in a video which was posted on social platform X.

“Access to confidential and secret information is a sacred trust, and those who betray that trust will be met with the full force of the law,” he added.

The creation of the task force comes just days after the Justice Department issued subpoenas to four New York Times reporters, seeking to compel them to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan over the newspaper’s reporting on security concerns involving President Trump’s Qatari-donated aircraft, which he used to travel to Turkey for the NATO summit.