Pete Hegseth faces scrutiny over influencer ties at Pentagon

Jennica Pounds, a social media influencer with nearly one million followers on X, has been confirmed as a special government employee at the Department of Defense, which the Trump administration has renamed the Department of War. Her role was revealed following a public dispute in which Pounds accused a senior State Department spokesperson of attempting to entrap her into committing treason.

The spokesperson, Sarah Rogers, stated that she had offered Pounds Biden-era documents regarding Cuba as a potential exclusive story, noting that the markings on the documents were standard redactions required by public records law. The incident has raised questions regarding the Department of Defense's use of social media influencers and its potential cultivation of online personalities to influence political discourse.