Hegseth Creates Joint Task Force to Prosecute Media Leaks

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the creation of a joint task force between the Department of War and the Department of Justice to identify and prosecute individuals who leak sensitive government information. Hegseth delegated immediate tasking authority to the War Department's Office of General Counsel, empowering the office to request all relevant records across the department with a mandatory 48-hour response window.

This initiative follows a series of disputes involving the press. The Department of Justice issued subpoenas to four New York Times reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan regarding reporting on security flaws in an Air Force One aircraft gifted to President Donald Trump by Qatar. While government officials claim the reporters are not the targets of the investigation, the National Press Club and the news organization condemned the move as an attempt to intimidate journalists.

The crackdown also aligns with previous threats from President Trump in April 2026 to jail journalists who leaked information regarding a downed F-15E fighter jet over Iran. Rep. Jim McGovern criticized the initiative, citing Hegseth's own history of national security lapses during the SignalGate scandal, where the secretary allegedly used a Signal group chat to discuss war plans.