Tell Congress: Investigate Hegseth’s Secret Influencers

Pete Hegseth is quietly installing political influencers inside the Pentagon — and no one will explain what they’re doing there.

New reporting reveals that conservative military veterans with massive online followings have been brought into civilian Pentagon roles while the Defense Department refuses to fully disclose their duties, how long they’re serving, or whether they’re being paid.

At least three — Rob Maness, Kurt Schlichter, and Thomas Anderson — have been tied to the Pentagon office responsible for personnel and readiness. Together, they reach more than a million followers online, where they promote Hegseth’s agenda and attack his critics. And they’re not just posting from the sidelines.

The three participated in a Pentagon task force scrutinizing military schools for supposedly “woke” ideology. During their visit to the Army War College, some students reportedly worried about whether they could speak candidly to them without facing consequences.

Tell Congress: Investigate Hegseth’s secret Pentagon influencers. Find out who hired them, what authority they’ve been given, and whether government resources are being used to advance partisan politics.

The Pentagon won’t even say whether these influencers are receiving taxpayer-funded salaries. Some have continued publishing political commentary without clearly telling their audiences about their Pentagon connections.

That should set off alarm bells. When someone praises the defense secretary, attacks his opponents, and weighs in on political controversies, Americans deserve to know if that same person is secretly working inside the Defense Department.

The Pentagon is not Pete Hegseth’s personal MAGA content studio. It controls nearly a trillion dollars in annual spending, oversees millions of servicemembers and civilian employees, and makes decisions with consequences around the world. Political influencers should not be allowed to operate inside that institution under a cloak of secrecy.

Congress can rip that cloak away. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees must demand personnel records, compensation information, ethics agreements, communications, and sworn testimony about these appointments.

Add your name now and demand Congress expose Hegseth’s secret influencer operation before political loyalists operating in the shadows become business as usual at the Pentagon.

The petition to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees reads:

“Investigate Hegseth’s secret Pentagon influencers, disclose who hired them, what they do, and whether their government work overlaps with their MAGA political advocacy.”