WaPo Correspondent and Pentagon Spox Throw Down Over Report That Military Brass Warned Against Hegseth’s War Escalation

(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Washington Post military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe told a Pentagon spokesman Sunday that “Independent journalism is not a crime,” following accusations made by Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell.

Parnell, who serves as public affairs assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, responded to a Post article detailing how top military brass warned Hegseth “against extending Iran war operations.”

“A recent classified assessment advised that prolonged large-scale operations in the Middle East risk weakening U.S. capabilities elsewhere,” the report said.

Lamothe retweeted the article, written by his Post colleagues Alex Horton and Tara Copp.

“Four-stars all non-concurring with prolonging operations against Iran as they are into 2027, per this @washingtonpost exclusive: Caudle, Grynkewich, Donovan, Paparo,” Lamothe wrote.

The names Lamothe listed were Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of Naval Operations; Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of European Command; General Francis L. Donovan, chief of U.S. Southern Command; and Adm. Samuel Paparo, chief of Pacific Command, who all reportedly warned Hegseth against ramping up attacks on Iran.

Parnell jumped on Lamothe’s praise for the report, writing on X, “Publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime. It’s a betrayal of the force. And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate.”

“Of course, we demand candid military advice,” Parnell continued. “Non-concurs are standard. The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military. We are in great shape around the world. This story isn’t about readiness. It’s TDS and PDS — they hate President Trump and Secretary Hegseth more than they love America.”

Lamothe responded, writing, “Fact check: Independent journalism is not a crime. It’s also especially important at a time when government officials are withholding key details and concerns about a war being fought on behalf of the American people with their taxpayer dollars.”

Under Hegseth, Pentagon reporters have faced severely restricted access to the building and its sources, unless they agree to his strict stipulations.

In addition, The Intercept reported, “U.S. Central Command maintains a secret directory of journalists who have been blacklisted by the press office.”

“Under self-styled War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military has mounted the most aggressive assault on press freedom in memory, from an effort to outlaw ‘unauthorized’ questions from reporters to imposing unconstitutional restrictions on journalists’ access to the Pentagon,” wrote reporter Nick Turse. “Hegseth has compared reporters to ‘Pharisees,’ who in the Bible call Jesus’s teachings into question, while the secretary’s minions regularly hurl insults at reporters.”

Spokesperson Olivia Peterson responded on behalf of The Washington Post, writing, “We’re confident in our reporting, our sourcing, and the constitutional protections that guarantee the rights of news organizations to publish information in the public interest that hold officials accountable.”

Peterson added, “The assertion that such publication is a crime is both incorrect and irresponsible.”

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