Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles: Washington Post
Pentagon records show the hires were labeled civilian employees, while officials declined to say whether they are paid by taxpayers or what roles they hold.
- On Sunday, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon secretly installed several conservative military veterans into civilian roles to amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's viewpoints and "attack those who scrutinize the Trump administration."
- Retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness and retired Army Colonel Kurt Schlichter, with more than 135,000 and nearly 620,000 followers respectively, were labeled with a ".civ" suffix, designating them as civilian employees rather than contractors.
- Pentagon records indicate these individuals, including retired Army Colonel Thomas Anderson, hold official email addresses and report to the office of Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, though officials declined to disclose their specific government duties.
- Political analysts and public figures expressed outrage, with political writer Jim Stewartson calling the operation "a roundabout way to use taxpayer money to pay for psyops against taxpayers" in a post on Sunday.
- The Pentagon refuses to disclose assignment details despite the Trump administration's claims that it operates the "most transparent Defense Department ever," raising concerns about government resources used for partisan messaging.
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28 Articles
The bizarre Greek statues and anonymous avatars hiding Trump shills
Sam Stein, chatting with Will Sommer, spoke on The Bulwark podcast Monday about Sommer's bombshell report that the Pentagon is using taxpayer dollars to pay far-right influencers to promote Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth online and in various articles. Sommer, who reports on the far right, had his previous report last Monday, and the Washington Post followed up with its own piece Sunday, exposing several other influencers who were being paid as …
The US Department of Defense has recruited influential former military personnel on social media to manipulate public opinion. This is reported by The…
The Washington Post revealed that the United States Department of War had employed a number of conservative veterans, who received extensive social media coverage, in undescribed government positions.
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Bias Distribution
- 61% of the sources lean Left
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