Since he quit his comfortable job at Fox News, Pete Hegseth has been really angry about the media he used to be part of.On Tuesday, a federal judge made him face the consequences of his own words.The judge issued a temporary order stopping the Defense Department from forcing journalists to have an official escort whenever they visit the Pentagon.And he did it by using Hegseth’s own words against him, exactly as he had said them.
The rule that was blocked required all journalists visiting the Pentagon to be accompanied by an official escort at all times.
This policy was challenged by the New York Times in May after the Department of Defense introduced it as a workaround following the Times’ earlier legal win against Pentagon press restrictions.
Hegseth, however, gave the judge the tools he needed.
The judge cited “a steady stream of disrespectful comments” from Hegseth in his ruling, carefully listing the Defense Secretary’s open disdain for the press.
The judge quoted Hegseth criticizing the Times for “destroying people’s reputations.” He quoted Hegseth accusing the “legacy Trump-hating press” of spreading “endless garbage.” He even quoted Hegseth comparing reporters to the biblical Pharisees, who “looked for violations in every good act, only seeking the negative.”
The judge also included Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell calling the Times “garbage” for good measure.
In short, Hegseth made it clear why he was pushing these rules.
And it wasn’t about national security.
That’s the official reason the Pentagon gave — that reporters were “maintaining a persistent physical presence near sensitive areas.” But when the Defense Secretary has been on record for months comparing journalists to ancient enemies of Jesus Christ, it’s hard to believe the escort rule is really about protecting classified information.
Meanwhile, Hegseth has been giving press credentials to right-wing influencers and friendly media outlets while pushing out critical journalists.
The goal wasn’t security — it was control — deciding who gets to see what and ensuring that negative coverage becomes impossible.
Friedman wrote, “This court has spoken at several points about the critical importance of protecting the freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment,” and that message needs to be heard again.
Let’s hope that Pete Hegseth, who has repeatedly tried to silence the press, takes this seriously.
The First Amendment doesn’t care how Hegseth wants to be portrayed in the media.If he wants better coverage, he’ll just have to act in a way that earns it.
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