By Pete Hegseth, a retired Army major and Fox News commentator, recently found himself at the center of controversy over false claims about his acceptance to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The allegations, initially reported by ProPublica, accused Hegseth of never having applied to the academy. These claims, however, have since been proven incorrect.
To counter the narrative, Hegseth preemptively released his West Point acceptance letter, effectively debunking the story before its publication. ProPublica ultimately chose not to move forward with the piece, citing journalistic integrity after learning the allegations were baseless.
We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999.
Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army. pic.twitter.com/UOhOVZSfhJ
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 11, 2024
Criticism of ProPublica’s role in the incident has been swift. Conservative commentators accused the outlet of engaging in politically biased reporting, arguing that the episode exemplifies a pattern of left-leaning media outlets targeting conservative figures while overlooking similar issues on their own side.
The New York Post, however, pointed out that the botched smear campaign reveals something even more sinister, a corruption driven by partisanship in the military and a media that refuses to cover it.
ProPublica senior editor Jesse Eisinger answered with telling haughty self-importance: “We asked West Pt public affairs, which told us twice on the record that he hadn’t even applied there. We reached out. Hegseth’s spox gave us his acceptance letter. We didn’t publish a story. That’s journalism.”
He followed with an 11-part thread (concluding. “This is how journalism is supposed to work”!) on the tale, but never explained why the publication started chasing the story in the first place — nor why ProPublica never dug into, say, Tim Walz’s claims.
The reason, of course, is that ProPublica isn’t so much a news outlet as it is a left-wing “opposition research” project, funded by shadowy “anonymous” donors to dig up dirt (some of it possibly true) on Republicans and conservatives.
Still a mystery is just how the West Point public affairs team failed so conveniently for ProPublica’s agenda, repeatedly giving false info to an agenda-driven outlet — answers that might’ve violated the Privacy Act even if they’d been true.
A genuine news outlet could’ve turned these events into an exposé on the forces working to tank this nomination.
Experts familiar with military academy admissions emphasized the unlikelihood of the original claim. Securing a place at West Point involves a highly selective process, including academic achievements, fitness tests, congressional nominations, and thorough background checks. These records are diligently maintained, making it improbable that someone could bypass such scrutiny.
Hegseth, a West Point graduate from the class of 2003, described the ordeal as an attack on his reputation. He called the controversy a baseless attempt to tarnish his character and stressed the academy’s significant influence on his career and values.
Commentators like journalist Mollie Hemingway have linked the incident to a broader trend of politically motivated investigative reporting. “Using armies of activist reporters to harass political opponents while shielding allies is not journalism,” Hemingway remarked.
In fact, using armies of Democrat-funded activist reporters to harass your political opponents and write irresponsibly framed propaganda while protecting your political allies — leaving them free of the harassment and going after their opponents — is not journalism.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 11, 2024
West Point has since apologized for the “error.”
“A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend. An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024,” West Point Directorate of Communications said in a statement to The Washington Examiner. “Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003. The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error.”
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