Combat Veteran Amy McGrath Slams 'Weak and Insecure' Hegseth Over Pentagon Influencer Hires
Key Takeaways
- •The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has hired several influencers as special government employees or highly qualified experts, raising questions about their compensation.
- •Amy McGrath, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and former Senate candidate, sharply criticized the hires on MS NOW, calling them personal cheerleaders for Hegseth.
- •McGrath argued that active-duty military members posting such content breaches the tradition of an apolitical military.
- •The temporary hiring designations used allow agencies to bring in outside talent without the full competitive hiring process applied to career civil servants.
- •Questions about the influencers' roles and pay remain a continuing focus of congressional and media attention amid broader scrutiny of Hegseth's tenure.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came under sharp criticism on Monday morning following a report that his Pentagon has brought in several so-called "influencers" with large online followings to serve in government roles and bolster his faltering reputation.
According to the Washington Post, "The individuals are assigned as either 'special government employees' or 'highly qualified experts,'" and questions are being raised about how much they are being paid. Both designations are temporary hiring authorities that allow agencies to bring in outside talent with less than the full competitive hiring process applied to career civil servants, which is why watchdogs often flag them when roles and pay are not publicly disclosed.
Appearing on MS NOW on Monday morning, combat veteran and former Senate candidate Amy McGrath sharply criticized President Donald Trump's embattled Cabinet member. McGrath, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan before running unsuccessfully for Senate in Kentucky in 2020, has been a frequent critic of politicization within the armed forces.
"Well, first of all, how weak and insecure do you have to be as a Secretary of Defense to bring in right-wing influencers into the Pentagon to serve as your personal cheerleaders?" she asked host Alicia Menendez.
"These are folks who the American people deserve to know why they're there. What's their role? What are their duties?" the former Marine pilot continued. "To have active-duty military members post things like this, this is just a breach of what an apolitical military does."
"And then veterans coming in? Okay, that's fine, except the American people need to know that their taxpayer dollars are going to these social media influencers," she added, before exclaiming, "What are we doing here?"
The criticism touches on a long-standing norm in American civil-military relations: the tradition of an apolitical military, in which uniformed personnel and defense institutions avoid partisan advocacy, a principle codified in restrictions on political activities by active-duty service members. Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran, has faced repeated scrutiny over his tenure, making questions about the influencers' roles and compensation a continuing point of congressional and media attention.
Source: Raw Story | Video via YouTube
