The Secretary of Defense-sive
Pentagon's Press Protocol Forces You to Trust Your Government -- And You Shouldn't.
I feel like I don’t need to start this by proclaiming my love for America the Beautiful — or by saying that I was (and still am) unapologetically defiant in my support for President Trump.
That back in 2015, while running track at the University of Pennsylvania, I was called a racist, a fascist, a bigot — take your pick — simply because I didn’t march in the first-ever BLM protests in Philadelphia. Because I didn’t agree that Trayvon Martin “could have been Obama’s son.” Because I didn’t feel guilty for being white — despite working three jobs and competing as a three-season athlete on scholarship, while many of my teammates, most of whom were so-called “racial minorities,” paid full-price tuition.
Or that I was one of the few staffers kept on during the Obama Administration to assist with the Trump Transition — and later earned a long-term position at The White House.
Some call it loyalty. I call it conviction.
I love this country with every fiber of my being. I’ve served it. I’ve risked my life for it — in ways I’ll never be able to fully explain. Cue every security briefing I sat through at a certain three-letter agency.
Relax… could’ve been the Department of Energy, for all you know. Take a guess. I’ll just never tell.
But yes, I gave my life to this country. And I’d do it again.
Every. Single. Time.
So — even though I said I didn’t need to start this with a love letter to America… I did it anyways. And no, it’s not because I have some fat ego and needed you all to “thank me for my service.” (We all know someone like that, at least one person.)
I said it to explain my perspective.
I joined some of the very entities we rally so hard against, because when you love your country so deeply — you need to know all of it.
The good and the bad, the enemies within, and the ones that likely have a well maintained stockpile should you ever need it.
I always knew I couldn’t love America blindly. I had to know her — truly — if I ever hoped to defend her.
And that’s exactly why I fight so hard to protect her now.
There’s a Core Element of MAGA That We Didn’t Protect Enough.
The power of the movement came from a shared realization: we weren’t going to blindly accept our government as Bible anymore.
America came alive in 2015.
We became a weapon against Washington — faster, louder, and more powerful than anything a government contract could buy.
Booz Allen, Raytheon, Boeing? They couldn’t dream of building what we became — not even if Capitol Hill wrote them a blank check.
And it worked.
Because our institutions were, and still are, slow and reactive.
We the People were fast and connected. Instagram accounts, X threads, Substacks — suddenly the government couldn’t keep up.
And they still can’t.
We were the last and only hope left for maintaining a love for country, not government.
And then something happened.
Somewhere along the way, we as a collective decided — if anyone ever questioned a policy or person within the MAGA movement — that they weren’t MAGA enough.
That they were deep state, that they couldn’t be trusted, that they didn’t love America as much as we do, and that … to put it bluntly, they sucked.
We’d kick ‘em out and remain skeptical for life and for theirs.
We became the polar of our ethos — to ask questions, to debate, to challenge each other and our ideals.
I will always be MAGA, but consider this a love letter to what we have lost, what we must regain, and my final plea to Love Your Country, Not Your Government.
So if you made it this far… you might be wondering, “Okay where is this all coming from?”
As I’ve worked in government as a civilian, served in the field, and now report on it as a journalist from within the Pentagon walls during this Administration, I’ll say this: despite my loyalty to our movement, we are killing ourselves.
The Pentagon: Our Ground Zero.
If you want the best case study for the death of the MAGA movement — look no further than the Department of Defense.
It’s the largest federal entity in the United States, with ties running deep into Capitol Hill. It commands the biggest budget in the entire government — and it’s only getting bigger, expected to surpass $1 trillion (yes, that’s in USD).
If there’s any place where we should be asking questions, demanding transparency, and applying pressure — it’s here.
We hyper-fixate on The White House. Every news outlet airing in real time from start to finish. But the reality is; by the time something is announced in a press briefing, it’s already old news to anyone tracking foreign affairs, defense operations, or the inner workings of the intelligence community.
I’ve always said, people sleep on the Pentagon.
They don’t realize what’s been simmering at the bottom for weeks, months, sometimes even years.
What you see at the White House podium? That’s just the bubble-over.
It feels like breaking news — but it’s really just the moment the spotlight hits something that’s been boiling beneath the surface all along.
Fake News: The Text Thread Read Around the World.
If I hear Signalgate one more time, my head might pop off.
I get that we are all tired of hearing about it.
But let’s be honest for a second here. Our SecDef told us that it was Fake News.
That it was another Russia Hoax.
As a MAGA girl myself, I cannot stand when we take something super serious and legitimate - such as the Russia Hoax - and conflate everything and anything that is an inconvenient truth, throw in the towel and say, “Yep its just a Russia Hoax,” and then proceed to call people losers and liars for reporting something that was unfortunately… true.
That’s like when the left calls anyone they disagree with, a Nazi.
It appeared Hegseth, although media trained, rejected the 101s of Public Relations.
All press can be good press. So long as you get ahead of it, own it, and then kill it — all while you and your team are on the same page.
But the messaging was a lie and no one got the memo.
Remember: DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe both testified on Capitol Hill shortly after — speaking firmly on their own behalf, and only their own. Each stated they did not share classified or sensitive information in the group chat.
Both even added, pointedly, that any leaks involving classified material should fall under the purview of the Secretary of Defense — here’s just one moment from that hearing at the 2:43-2:50 mark.
They may not have used the same lines as Hegseth, but the truth set them free — and, by default, emphasized the SecDef’s responsibility to claim ownership.
Little known fact, but immediately after Signalgate, the Pentagon stopped all press briefings moving forward and simultaneously decided to lock one of the doors that connects journalists to the DoD’s Public Affairs Officials, a door that has always been wide open.
An unprecedented move for a long withstanding relationship between the DoD and journalists as their sole job is to serve as the primary link between the Department of Defense and the media in order to disseminate information to the public.
Think of every time you hear a journalist reference a source as “Defense Official” or something abstract… a lot of times, it’s coming from these guys. And they are always there to provide additional context, field questions, and relay the reality of ops in an unclassified manner.
Figure since we are on the topic of locking doors… this Administration, to my surprise, also locked the doors to the Pentagon Briefing room, a protocol that was never in place in prior Administrations, and a door that is never locked for press at the White House.
The Commander-in-Chief welcomes the hard questions… and yes, even the dumb ones.
Why won’t the Secretary of Defense do the same?
False Flags - Is the DoD’s Messaging Mirroring Mission?
If you’re still thinking to yourself, “Gabby screw the media, they don’t deserve to be at the Pentagon.”
Let me ask you something.
Do you tolerate the Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary of Defense campaigning on accountability, highlighting the botched Afghan Withdrawal, teasing to us that they are in the middle of a 3 month investigation, go on The Will Cain Show and make a “major announcement” about it, and then 24 hours leader release this?
A memo that, in so many words, says following a 3 month review, the DoD has concluded we need… another review?
This is where journalism comes in.
Every journalist should be asking, at a minimum, what findings drew to a conclusion that another review must be conducted?
In the DoD, and in particular regarding the 13 of our own that were killed at Abbey Gate, there is clear and present evidence at who and what was at fault.
The DoD, much like most entities within classified settings, houses cable traffic on the “high side” that catalogs the 5 Ws. Who, What, When, Where, Why…and then of course the How.
Whether via pseudonym or not, there is a catalog of all involved, with a set chain of command before, during, and after the Afghan withdrawal - all intelligence gathered and captured - most of it all harbored on secure servers - sometimes due to intel levels, info can be redacted via cable from other components or individuals within the intelligence community - but needless to say, the evidence is all right there at the highest levels of government.
As a journalist myself who has spoken to those close to some of these whistleblower reports and Gold Star Families, there is a shared notion that the DoD officials implicated in this botched withdrawal, are folks who essentially were “just following orders,” and now the Pentagon is carefully working to make right of what was done wrong while protecting those in leadership roles who would otherwise be dismissed based on the statements made by the SecDef and his counterparts.
If that is true, so be it. The Afghan withdrawal will likely very well be one of those situations, where nothing will make up for losing 13, nor the men and women before them in that arena.
Honesty goes far greater than gaslighting America into thinking justice will be served to the fullest extent.
One dangling of the Epstein Files being released is more than we can bear at the moment. (Which I have my own theories as to the why’s on that — but we’ll save that for another day.)
Locked Out: The Doors Were Closed Long Before - It’s Just No One Told You Yet.
So here we are.
What makes this even tougher to grasp as a conservative, is the new protocol that was just rolled out.
Maybe you missed it, because it conveniently dropped late Friday just ahead of Memorial Day Weekend - cheap PR move.
Effective immediately, journalists are no longer allowed to access the offices of the Secretary of Defense or the Joint Chiefs unless they’re escorted by Public Affairs staff. Outside a few “safe zones” — like the press office, the food court, or designated entrances — reporters now have to be formally walked, door-to-door, by authorized DoD personnel from the specific office or military branch they’re trying to reach.
Hegseth’s reasoning?
He claims it’s to “reduce the opportunity for in-person inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures.”
But let’s be honest — since January, the real leaks from the Pentagon haven’t come from the press. They’ve come from Hegseth’s own team and other senior officials.
I personally know reporters who’ve sent formal emails to Hegseth’s office requesting clarification on specific topics — and received radio silence in return.
Let’s call this what it is: limiting freedom of movement in the name of “national security.”
The Pentagon wants to paint a picture that journalists are freely roaming classified spaces, sneaking into SCIFs, and leaking top-secret information.
And that is simply not true. There are security cameras everywhere, protocols in place, and quite frankly, it would be painfully obvious if a reporter was in a space they didn’t belong - especially considering most in the Pentagon are in their military grade attire.
Now look — don’t go calling me deep state.
It’s pretty obvious how I feel about fake news outlets like CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC.
Remember, I was the new kid on the block a few months ago when the SecDef kicked out NBC and gave us their suite. Which again, I am so thankful for the opportunity.
The tweet that changed my career.
The manual labor of making a Liberty Lounge at "The Penty." But just because it’s an awesome gig, doesn’t mean I have to turn a blind eye.
Part of being a good reporter is also understanding what information is already out there, always assessing how it is being messaged, what gaps in information there may be, and what questions should be asked.
So what I am saying is, I also watched, and continue to watch, the Pentagon beat reporters for those other networks. I see the stories they publish. I read their questions.
And while I think their obsession with advocating for transgender inclusion in the military is a complete waste of time and taxpayer resources — I can still confidently say that these reporters are not a national security threat.
Their coverage may not be my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean I stand behind Hegseth’s decision here.
This marks a troubling shift in how the Department of Defense engages with the press and, by extension, the American public.
The Pentagon Press Association (although I am not officially part of the association —again hello I am MAGA) has raised valid concerns over the new restrictions on the movement of credentialed journalists within the Pentagon, even in non-secure, unclassified hallways.
For decades — across both Republican and Democratic administrations — reporters have operated in these spaces responsibly, including in the wake of 9/11, without raising red flags from leadership over operational security.
Remember there are war correspondents and reporters who’ve embedded with U.S. forces across Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria — who have consistently respected ground rules and protected sensitive information
Not to mention — the Pentagon isn’t some compact little outpost. It’s the largest low-rise office building in the world. You could fit the entire U.S. Capitol inside just one of its five wedges. We’re talking 6.5 million square feet of office space, 7,754 windows, and 17.5 miles of corridors.
Point being?
It’s now damn near impossible to pull someone aside for an off-the-record chat or have a real, unfiltered conversation when you have to go track down an escort from an already gutted SecDef team. (And let’s not forget recent wave of firings… I suspect more are coming.)
Now, information is being controlled, timed, and curated — released only when there is someone available to escort. (Not to mention the running joke now is that the Subway staff and maintenance employees have far more access to than the press employees.)
And without press, we by default have to assume that our government relaying information to us, is true. Again the antithesis of what we believe in.
It also raises a fair question: why has the Department prioritized limiting press access, while the Secretary of Defense himself has yet to hold a briefing in the press room during his first 100 days?
Which actually reminds me, if we want to go down memory lane — the one and only press briefing, led by Spox Sean Parnell, was on the announcement of the 50+ day precision air-strike campaign against the Houthis, and at a bare minimum, I assumed following Trump’s ceasing of Operation Rough Rider, that we’d have a follow-up brief on at least that.
Over at the White House, the Administration understands the freedom of the press, and keeps the door open anyway.
And they would certainly not field questions *before* said press briefing.
Did I mention that for the one and only press briefing conducted, Hegseth’s team reached out to me for what questions I would have so that they could call on me?
Yes that is true.
At first I thought nothing of it and figured they wanted to be prepared for their very first briefing and be able to answer questions with as much info in response as possible. Unfortunately that was not the case and they responded by telling me to field my question about CECOT/Gitmo to the Department of State suggesting it wasn’t within the DoD’s purview — just days later, the SecDef did a trip to Gitmo.
Take a listen here.
It is probably worth mentioning that the Office of the Secretary of Defense also sends out a daily email outlining the SecDef’s daily schedule.
Nearly each day, we are told the SecDef has no public events, only to find hours later he was at a public event via X from the SecDef’s account or subsidiaries.
Not sure if it’s intentional, but between the lack of press briefings, unanswered inquiries, and the fact that we can’t even confirm the SecDef’s whereabouts… who’s to say we’re not looking at Lloyd Austin 2.0 — where We The People only find out something’s wrong after it’s too late?
Remember the only reason the public found out about Dan Caldwell’s departure, was because a Pentagon press reporter from within the actual building shared that information online to the people.
And it made news.
And then Tucker Carlson had him on his show.
And we saw a whole other side to the Pentagon.
I Love My Country, Not My Government.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want my government to succeed. Actually it means quite the opposite.
Remember, I’m still the journalist that warned Hegseth’s team about Susan Rice and several other Obama/Biden holdovers still on the Pentagon’s Policy Board for the Under Secretary of Defense.
The one that emailed and called the Under Secretary’s team and the SecDef’s team myself when they were not aware of this information, before publishing my findings which in turn resulted in Susan Rice’s firing.
This article isn’t to serve as a tearing down of the SecDef.
This is me wanting to keep MAGA alive.
Ask questions, debate, and stay vigilant - even when it is someone on the right side of the aisle.
Those are who we need to be honest with the most.
Always like to end on a good note - so here's Lady Liberty.
Thanks for reading, Gabby
Goodness gracious!! This is insufferable!!
You talk WAY too much!! I'd fire you just for that... by email.
I never expected the leopards to eat MY face...