Numerous attacks have been directed at combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient Pete Hegseth since his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of Secretary of Defense in the forthcoming Trump Administration. Among these, one of the most glaringly inaccurate is an attempt by the outlet Pro Publica to discredit Hegseth regarding his association with West Point.
To provide context, Hegseth has previously stated that he was accepted to West Point but chose not to enroll, opting instead to attend Princeton University for his undergraduate studies while participating in the school’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. Pro Publica aimed to challenge this assertion, claiming that he had not received an acceptance from West Point.
In its efforts to substantiate this claim, Pro Publica reached out to West Point multiple times, and each time, the institution informed the outlet that Hegseth had not been accepted, contradicting his statement. Consequently, Pro Publica believed it had conducted thorough research and successfully exposed Hegseth as dishonest, preparing to launch a significant critique against him.
However, the issue lies in the fact that West Point either provided false information or was mistaken in its communications with Pro Publica regarding Hegseth’s acceptance. In reality, Hegseth was indeed accepted in 1999, the same year he asserted, and he subsequently shared his admission letter on X (formerly Twitter), demonstrating that Pro Publica had been misled by West Point and that the institution had misrepresented the facts concerning him.
In a recent post on X, Hegseth shared a copy of his acceptance letter, stating, “We are aware that ProPublica (the left-leaning organization) intends to publish a knowingly false report claiming that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999. Here is my acceptance letter, signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army.”
In response, ProPublica Senior Editor Jesse Eisinger, while quote tweeting Hegseth’s message, remarked, “Hegseth has claimed that he was accepted to West Point but chose not to attend. We contacted West Point’s public affairs office, which confirmed on two occasions that he had not even applied. We reached out for clarification, and Hegseth’s spokesperson provided us with his acceptance letter. We did not publish a story. That is what journalism entails.”
In the comments on Eisinger’s post, one user questioned whether ProPublica was investigating the alleged dishonesty of the military academy regarding a Trump nominee, asking, “Are you looking into why West Point Public Affairs misled you multiple times in an effort to undermine a nominee for the Department of Defense, or would investigating that clear scandal not qualify as journalism?”
Subsequently, an Army spokesperson issued an apology, stating, “A review of our records confirms that Mr. Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not enroll. An erroneous statement regarding Mr. Hegseth’s admission to the United States Military Academy was made by an employee on December 10, 2024. Following a thorough review of archived records, it was determined that this statement was incorrect. Mr. Hegseth was indeed offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the class of 2003. The United States Military Academy takes this matter very seriously, and we sincerely apologize for this administrative error.”
Senator Tom Cotton, in correspondence addressed to the military academy and its superintendent, characterized the report as a targeted attack. He expressed his apprehension regarding allegations that an official from the U.S. Military Academy has disseminated misleading information to a left-leaning journalist who is crafting a disparaging article about Pete Hegseth, the candidate for Secretary of Defense.
