Conservative influencer James O’Keefe pushed back Saturday on the Pentagon’s new press restrictions on reporters covering the Defense Department (DOD), saying the U.S. government “should not be asking us to obey.”
“We should NOT be cheerleading this. The Supreme Court permits journalists to lawfully acquire info about a matter of public concern, (even [if] a source obtained it unlawfully),” O’Keefe said in a post on social platform X.
“Aside from publishing info that creates grave and imminent danger, Govt should not be asking us to obey.”
The DOD rolled out new constraints on reporters covering the agency on Friday, asking them not to print information that was not authorized by the Pentagon and warning if they do they risk losing access to the building.
“[The Department of War] remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust. However, DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified,” DOD said in a note that was circulated to news media, using President Trump’s updated title for the department.
In the document, the DOD also said it would curtail the allowed movement of journalists within the Pentagon, with many of the areas being off limits unless reporters have escorts, part of an effort by the Trump administration to quash leaks to the news media.
Reporters were already banned from some areas of the Pentagon in May, unless they secured approval from DOD officials.
The department said that unauthorized disclosure of classified information presents a security risk that could impede U.S. national security and put Pentagon personnel in “jeopardy.”
“These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon,” said Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman.
The National Press Club said Friday the changes present a “direct assault on independent journalism at the very place where independent scrutiny matters most: the U.S. military.”
The proposed changes were also rebuked by a spokesperson for The New York Times, who argued that asking reporters to “submit to these kinds of restrictions is at stark odds with the constitutional protections of the free press in a democracy, and a continued attempt to throttle the public’s right to understand what their government is doing.”
O’Keefe is the founder and former long-time leader of conservative group Project Veritas, which for years published hidden-camera video of various figures from government and organizations. Earlier this summer the far-right operate published video of a Department of Justice (DOJ) official weighing in on the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The DOJ later downplayed the significance of the official’s comments.
