Hegseth Spox Calls For ‘Severe Punishment’ For Washington Post Journalists

Alex Griffing Aug 20th, 2025, 3:00 pm

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Joel Valdez , the acting deputy press secretary for the Department of Defense, took to social media on Wednesday to rage against recent reporting on the cost of Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “expansive” security detail.

“WaPo intentionally published sensitive details of @SecDef’s security detail for him and his family – putting their safety at risk,” Valdez posted on X, adding:

There should be severe punishment for what @TaraCopp, @DanLamothe, and @AlexHortonTX are doing.

The published a bombshell scoop on Wednesday morning titled, “Hegseth’s expansive security requirements tax Army protective unit.” The report carried the byline of the thre

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