Hegseth’s latest attempt to curry favor with Trump has put him in a difficult situation following allegations that he illegally used taxpayer money.
Ezra Acayan/Pool via REUTERS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing new backlash for using taxpayer money to make a self-promotional video as he fights to keep his job.
Amid growing reports that President Donald Trump is considering giving Hegseth the boot, the 46-year-old former Fox News host posted a slick five-minute video call filled with personal praise and flattering tributes to his boss.
Hegseth’s office confirmed that Defense Department personnel recorded and produced the video, according to the Washington Post, but did not respond to questions about its price or whether it met the government’s legal and ethical standards.
Government watchdogs say the video — in which Hegseth attacks Democrats, obsesses over culture war grievances, defends the war with Iran and demands that Republicans pass a massive Pentagon budget plan — clearly violates federal law.
“The pro-Trump and self-complimentary remarks contained in the video are blatant violations of the ban on the use of federal funds for propaganda purposes,” Donald K. Sherman, president of the nonpartisan government accountability organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, told the Post.
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He added: “The specific and repeated mentions of the funding bills violate the Anti-Lobbying Act, and the blatant effort to oppose the Democrats’ accountability agenda is a potential violation of the Hatch Act.” »
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis warned that Hegseth was repeating the mistake that cost former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem her job.
Federal law prohibits the use of federal funds for “advertising or propaganda purposes,” including communications that are “purely partisan” and “intended to assist a political party or candidates.” Although governments can fund advertising, it must be used to promote issues such as public health awareness or military recruitment, and advertising must remain nonpartisan.
The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees like Hegseth from engaging in “activities directed toward the success or failure of a political party, (or) a candidate for partisan political office” while on duty or inside a federal hall or building, according to the Post.
The law further prohibits political appointees and their civilian staff from using social media to advocate for or against a political party.
Using social media “to criticize Democrats, whether because he’s re-auditioning for office or for any other reason,” is a violation of the law, said Abigail Bellows, a senior policy director for anti-corruption at the nonpartisan watchdog Common Cause.
When reached for comment, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told the Daily Beast, “The partisan hackers and lame-duck media propagandists are getting away with it and seething because Secretary Hegseth will not back down – he will continue to stand up and fight for our Republic and our military.” »
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel would be tasked with investigating and prosecuting alleged Hatch Act violations — an unlikely prospect after Trump ousted the head of the independent agency early in his second term.
The video was criticized Friday by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who warned that Hegseth was repeating the mistake that cost former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem her job.
“@PeteHegseth, cabinet secretaries should not waste taxpayer dollars on campaign-style videos. Kristi Noem learned that the hard way,” the 66-year-old North Carolina senator, who is retiring in January, wrote in an X post.
Meanwhile, Hegseth’s video echoes Trump’s own Election Day ad campaign, for which the president diverted more than $20 million in taxpayer money to tout his accomplishments. A judge ultimately shut down the ads after a lawsuit challenged their use of public money.
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