Duckworth Slams Hegseth’s Un-American Restrictions on Freedom of Speech, Attempt to Silence the Free Press

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, today released the following statement regarding Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s new restrictions on the media’s First Amendment right to report on and help ensure transparency at the Pentagon. The un-American restrictions on free speech that Hegseth—who famously is responsible for, but has yet to be held accountable for, one of the most significant classified national security leaks in years—demanded have been rejected by virtually every major news outlet, including his former employer FOX News, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Newsmax and others.

“The American people deserve transparency from their government—especially from an Administration that brags about being ‘the most transparent Administration in history’ and from a department with a nearly $1 trillion budget funded by taxpayer dollars.

“If Pete Hegseth were confident in his ability to effectively lead our servicemembers—men and women who literally swear an oath to protect and defend the right to free speech and the free press—he wouldn’t need to do it in secret.

“You don’t hide and avoid accountability when you’re proud of what you’re doing. You hide when you know what you’re doing is wrong. These sort of un-American restrictions on the free press could be expected from an authoritarian regime, but Pete Hegseth should know they simply have no place—and are not necessary—from the United States government.”

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