Pete Hegseth Attempts a Backdoor Move to Control the Press — Judge Sees Right Through It and Exposes the Whole Play In Brutal Detail

A federal judge has called out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ruling that the Pentagon violated a previous court order requiring it to restore press access to journalists.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times for the second time in a month. He had earlier ruled that the Pentagon’s new press credential policy violated journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

Hegseth introduced new rules last October that allowed the Pentagon to revoke press passes. Judge Friedman said on Thursday that Hegseth’s team tried to get around his earlier ruling by creating new restrictions that would remove all reporters from the Pentagon building unless they were accompanied by official escorts.

The judge also struck down a rule that tried to stop journalists from encouraging sources to share information whether classified or not unless the information had already been officially approved for release. The court ruled that this would restrict journalists’ ability to do their jobs.

This is the latest challenge to the government’s efforts to control or limit press activity.

Separately, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of Courtney P. Williams, a former member of U.S. Special Operations Command. Williams is accused of sharing top secret information with a journalist for several years. Prosecutors say he signed a nondisclosure agreement when he took the job but still passed classified national defense information through phone calls and text messages between January 2022 and August 2025.

FBI Director Kash Patel said this case should be a warning to anyone considering leaking classified information, saying the FBI will not tolerate actions that could endanger national security. The journalist involved was not named in court documents.

In his ruling, Judge Friedman added strong criticism of Hegseth. He said the real issue is that the Secretary of Defense is trying to control what the American public hears and sees by limiting press access. He said the Constitution requires more transparency and the public deserves better.

The Pentagon responded by saying it disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to appeal.