The Washington Post’s national security reporter is unimpressed with Pete Hegseth’s 20-plus awards and commendations during his two combat tours, emails obtained Wednesday by Breitbart News reveal.
The Post’s Alex Horton, a national security reporter, pushed back Tuesday on Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s characterization of Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, as “highly decorated” for his military service.
“Can you help me understand what highly decorated means in this release?” Horton asked Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s staff in response to an op-ed Tuberville wrote praising Hegseth. “Is it the total number of awards or the types of awards that make him highly decorated in the eyes of the Senator?”
For “reference,” Horton provided Tuberville’s staff a list of Hegseth’s awards – totaling over 20 – as described by the National Guard Bureau:
Bronze Star Medal x2
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal x2
Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal x3
National Defense Service Medal w/Bronze Service Star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/ 2 campaign stars
Iraq Campaign Medal w/ 2 campaign stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/ “M” Device
Army Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon x2
DCNG Emergency Service Ribbon
NATO Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Combat Infantryman Badge
Expert Infantryman Badge
Breitbart News obtained Horton’s full email correspondence with Tuberville’s staff. In those emails, Horton, who served in Iraq as an Army infantryman according to his official bio, said “nothing here jumps out at me” in Hegseth’s extensive service resume during the global war on terror (GWOT).
“The term [highly decorated] is subjective, so I tend to look for less common awards to describe someone that way,” Horton said. “Nothing here jumps out at me for an infantry officer who served in the GWOT era, in terms of quantity or rarity, but maybe the Senator has a different view.”
Tuberville’s staff made his position clear.
“Yes, Senator Tuberville considers someone who served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and earned two Bronze Stars to be highly decorated,” his staff replied.
The Bronze Star is awarded for heroism.
Hegseth, who has pledged as Secretary to institute broad reforms at the Pentagon (which has failed seven consecutive annual audits), has been subjected to an intense smear campaign from the mainstream press, which has recycled a series of years-old smears and cited numerous anonymous sources to attack Hegseth’s character.
Dozens of current and former colleagues of Hegseth’s have come forward on the record to defend him.
Despite the attacks, Hegseth continued making the rounds Wednesday meeting individually with Senators.
“I spoke to the President-elect this morning,” Hegseth said. “He said, ‘Keep going. Keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way.’”
RELATED: “We Need a Drill Sergeant” Sen. Tuberville Supports Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary
Asked by CBS News if he was in this “all the way,” he responded, “Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the fighters. This is personal and passionate.
Several female Republican Senators, notably Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have defended Hegseth from the malicious attacks, Breitbart’s Kristina Wong reports.
Tuberville, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been one of Hegseth’s loudest defenders, calling him the “drill sergeant” needed at the Pentagon.
“We’ve got so many things going on right now, we can’t focus on one,” Tuberville said. “So that’s reason we need to get our military in the right position with somebody like Pete Hegseth.”
The Washington Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, penned an op-ed in October lamenting the biased perception of the paper and lack of credibility with the public.
Bezos pledged to make uncomfortable changes to restore the public’s faith in the publication. “Now more than ever the world needs a credible, trusted, independent voice,” he wrote.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.