Pentagon clarifies how MAGA influencer Jennica Pounds went from covering the department to working for it
Key Takeaways
- •Jennica Pounds now serves at the Department of Defense as a special government employee, according to the Pentagon and Pounds herself.
- •Pounds previously operated the pro-Trump DataRepublican account on X, which gained prominence for posts about federal spending.
- •The Pentagon said her press credentials expired in June 2026, and Pounds said she did not seek to renew them.
- •Pounds said she began working for the department in July and is no longer part of the Pentagon Press Corps.
- •Neither the Pentagon nor Pounds disclosed what duties she performs in her new role.
The Pentagon on Monday clarified how a prominent MAGA activist who once held journalist credentials came to work inside the department she had been covering.
Jennica Pounds, who runs the influential pro-Trump DataRepublican account on X, now serves in President Donald Trump's Department of Defense as a special government employee, according to both Pounds and the department. The account built a large following in early 2025 for its data-driven posts about federal spending during the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-cutting push, and Pounds was publicly identified as its operator in February 2025.
"Ms. [Jennica] Pounds serves at the Department of Defense as a Special Government Employee and is no longer a credentialed journalist at the Pentagon," the department said, according to CBS News national security coordinating producer Jim LaPorta.
The Pentagon said her press credentials expired in June 2026. Pounds confirmed that timeline in her own post on X.
"I began working as a Special Government Employee for the Department of War (sic) in July, to serve the country in a more hands-on way," she wrote Monday. "My press credentials at the Pentagon expired in June, and I did not seek a renewal of those credentials. I currently am not a member of the Pentagon Press Corps and no longer attend briefings or events as a journalist." Her reference to the "Department of War" echoes a secondary name for the agency that President Trump designated by executive order in September 2025.
A special government employee is generally a temporary federal worker, adviser, or consultant appointed to perform duties for the executive or legislative branch. The designation applies to employees expected to serve no more than 130 days during any 365-day period, and it carries federal ethics and conflict-of-interest obligations. The administration has used the designation for other outside figures, including Elon Musk during his time leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
The department's clarification followed questions about how Pounds transitioned from presenting herself as a credentialed Pentagon journalist to working within the department she had covered. Neither the Pentagon nor Pounds specified what duties she performs.
I began working as a Special Government Employee for the Department of War in July, to serve the country in a more hands-on way. My press credentials at the Pentagon expired in June and I did not seek a renewal of those credentials. I currently am not a member of the Pentagon…
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) August 24, 2026
